Of Choice and Commitment
by TwitchertheDrunk
Summary: What begins as an arrangement that Emma isn't so fond of turns into a choice she never thought she'd make. Co-written with Adm Hawthorne. Read the Note in Ch. 1 or wonder why you're lost and confused forever.
1. September 1st

**If you're reading this note, good! You won't be lost and confused! This is an AU-ish story that Adm_Hawthorne and myself are working on. It's set after Emma and Mary Margaret come back from the Enchanted Forest, but before "The Cricket Game" which means basically that you won't see Cora, Hook, or anyone from that extremely annoying 'destroy magic' storyline with all of the extraneous characters (because they didn't have enough already). Basically everyone is trying really hard to do something, whether that's redemption, trust, or god only knows, time will tell.**

**It's going to be really long. I hope you'll stick around for the ride. There will be two chapters posted every Friday for now. The story has no definite end, nor are there any other characters with lines written except Emma and Regina.**

**Look, I've got a lot of debt and pretty much no money. I own nothing, including these characters. I don't own them or their angst riddled backgrounds that I'm twisting into my own nefarious purposes. If you sue me, it will be like trying to get carrot juice from a radish. Good luck with that. I'm making no profit here except general happiness.**

_**Chapter One **_  
_**Sept. 1st, Sunday Evening **_  
_**Mayor's House**_

Emma arrived fifteen minutes early to Regina's mayoral mansion in her yellow "deathtrap" for their meeting. Part of her dreaded the upcoming meeting knowing they were going to fight over Henry. Or paperwork. She couldn't remember which meeting this was. Emma knew that if she showed up early it would surprise Regina, but she couldn't resist pushing her buttons. So, she timed it perfectly and sat in her car until she would be exactly one minute late.

Regina swung the door wide open as Emma knocked and raised an eyebrow at her in irritation, insults already pouring out before Emma even had a chance to say hello. "Of course you would be late, Miss Swan," she said while stepping aside to let Emma in. "I see your little vacation into the Enchanted Forest has only served to teach you the manners of an ogre, though that may actually be an improvement."

"One minute hardly makes me late!" Emma fired back, stepping inside with a classic roll of her eyes, "There was a thing with...someone." It was this moment that she wished she'd used the fifteen minutes in her car to come up with a better excuse because judging by the look on Regina's face she definitely did not believe a word of it. Emma winced and decided to change the subject. "Anyway, why am I here? If it's for more paperwork, I swear to god..."

Regina shut the front door and Emma followed her towards the study with a sigh. Her eyes were drawn to Regina's backside as she walked away from her. "You'll what? Bore me to death with stories about your ill fated attempts at relationships?" Regina called over her shoulder in a tone that couldn't sound more bored if she tried...and she probably was trying.

Since Emma was busy not staring at the way Regina was walking away from her it took her a second to come up with a flat response. "Considering you brought them up...maybe you want to know, Regina. And here I thought you knew everything already."

It was Regina's dark chuckle that made her look up briefly in alarm, which she quickly masked. Had she been found out? Apparently not, since the former mayor simply pointed her to the couch to sit on and took a seat on one of her fancy chairs. "You're here because we agreed to meet today to discuss what to do regarding my visitations with Henry, not verbally spar with each other.."

Oh thank god, Emma thought, No paperwork.

"And really, Miss Swan? That's the best you can do? I thought all the time you've been spending with Ruby Lucas would have broadened your horizons. The waitress is remarkably good at jabs. It would seem the only thing that's rubbed off on you from that woman is a shift to an even more questionable sense of fashion."

Emma silently counted to ten inside her head and let Regina finish her insults. Not that she didn't enjoy their banter, but today she was here for Henry and Regina. She wanted what was best for all of them so that there was no more fighting. Regina's hand moved over her skirt and Emma's eyes were drawn to it like bees to honey. "Not that any of this is part of the point," Regina continued, "The point is that you've been keeping my son from me, and I think it's time that we begin to make arrangements so that I can see him."

They made eye contact at last and it made Emma uncomfortable. "The cricket has offered his services as a mediator if we need it, but I'd rather not deal with him if we can avoid it. Despite my better judgement, I'm going to trust we're both mature enough to come to an agreement on our own. However, if you need credentials in order to believe I won't hurt my son, you can speak with Dr. Hopper," At this, Emma looked away, unable to continue the weird eye contact. Regina went on,"He's offered to vouch for me, and he's said he thinks that spending time with me would be good for both me and Henry."

Emma tried to relax by leaning back into the sofa, but it was too unsettling. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath before responding to Regina's diatribe. "Insult me in one breath, and need something from me in the next. Not very diplomatic of a former mayor, or queen," she began, trying to choose her words carefully for effect. "You could at least respect Archie enough not to call him 'the cricket', even if that is what he is." She tried to stay neutral, but honestly the idea that the therapist for the town was the cricket who she used to watch in "Pinocchio" made her roll her eyes. She wondered briefly if he could sing.

Emma narrowed her eyes and continued, "I don't think you'll hurt Henry." She gave Regina an I dare you look and demanded, "Convince me it'd be good for the kid, and yourself... I guess, and I'll think about it."

Emma could tell Regina was frustrated when she sighed heavily. Well, it was pretty stressful for herself as well. It wasn't as if she wanted to keep the kid from his other mother. And she knew that no matter what he said, Henry wanted to see Regina as well. Emma would just have to find a way to make them into a family. Whatever that family looked like.

"I suppose the argument that I am his mother and did raise him, alone, for 10 years isn't enough?" Emma shrugged at this beginning. She knew abusive parents that "raised" kids. Just because you raised them didn't mean you loved them. Although that wasn't the case with Regina. "No, of course not. Fine, Miss Swan, if you insist on playing this trivial game…" the older woman continued, and Emma prepared to listen intently.

After a moment, and after straightening coasters, she spoke calmly, "As much as it pains me to admit it, I agree with the crick... Doctor Hopper. Henry has spent the majority of his life with me, and, now that I'm attempting to be a better person, it would be good for him to see that in action so he knows it's perfectly acceptable to do something other than show contempt and hatred for me. Hopper made a valid point today. It's not healthy for Henry to constantly see us all fighting amongst ourselves, especially about him. We need to come to some sort of mutually acceptable and, perhaps, neutral agreement with each other so Henry doesn't feel put in the middle of our disagreements. By allowing me to visit with him, you would be nurturing and encouraging this."

Regina sat up and made eye contact with Emma again, and the uncomfortableness returned. However, she kept her face neutral. "As for myself? He's my son. His very existence in my life has been a main motivating factor for the things I do for a very long time, including this 'road to redemption', as you've started calling it. Consider time spent with my son reward for good behavior, and I'll continue to see this whole thing as a worthwhile endeavor."

Emma shifted at the last sentence. She didn't like the idea of using Henry as bait on a hook to reward for good behavior. Then Regina offered politely, "And, if you'd like, you may occasionally join us for dinner when Henry is over for a visit. I'm sure the show of a united front would also be healthy for Henry, and I wouldn't be opposed to the company occasionally."

"I don't like the idea of rewarding good behavior like that," Emma began while shaking her head slowly, "You're an adult. You hardly need to be rewarded for doing the right thing. But, as much as it pains me to, I agree with you. Henry shouldn't learn contempt an hatred for you from others. He needs to decide for himself."

Regina sat up and by the look on her face Emma realized she'd implied the wrong thing. She quickly tried to diffuse the situation by a counteroffer. "What if I joined you for dinner a few nights a week with Henry? It would show a united front in the beginning until he gets used to the idea, and then I can gradually see myself out," she paused and shrugged lightly, "as he, hopefully, begins to see you as his other mother, or makes his decision." Hoping that the terms would be acceptable, she held out her hand to seal the deal. Regina ignored it completely, and the absolutely rigid posture and cold stare she was receiving made her shudder.

"It's a win-win situation." she explained, dropping her hand against her lap and acting like the snub was no big deal. "You won't have to pretend to like me for longer than necessary, and you'd get to spend time with Henry. What do you think?" She looked toward the other side of the room at anything and everything but Regina.

"His other mother?"

When Emma glanced back at Regina, she was startled to see the former queen's hands balled into fists in her lap. That wasn't the way she wanted this conversation to go, and it seemed to be going from bad to worse. "His mother...one of his mothers." Emma rolled her eyes at Regina's overreaction to her statement. "I didn't mean it like you took it, not that you'll believe me."

"For the sake of this conversation, I'm inclined to let that go for now, Sheriff." Emma breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed just a little bit...she was still sitting in front of a magic-wielding former evil queen.

"What do I think about sharing my son with you? I think you already know the answer to that. However, some time with Henry is better than no time at all. That said, I do expect to see some sort of progress. I'd like to revisit the idea of actually having personal time with him, alone, at some point." Honestly, it took almost all Emma had to bite back her sarcastic retort. The entire point if Regina was listening and not focused on sharing her son was to get them to be a family, to get them to be comfortable again, and all that jazz. Sometimes it was just so trying.

Emma nodded in agreement with Regina and carefully said, "The idea is to do this in a progressive way, instead of just expecting Henry to accept staying with you. You know him better than...anyone. He never stays anywhere he doesn't want to be. I want you two to be nice to each other and able to spend time alone together."

"As do I. I suppose this means I should consider dinner options. What do you like to eat, and please don't say pizza or burgers." Regina finally unclenched her fists and lowered her voice and Emma felt she was out of immediate danger. She relaxed back into the couch with a sigh of relief.

Of course, she couldn't help the blush when Regina called her out on her main choices of food staples. "I like other things besides pizza and burgers!" When Regina looked at her with that disbelieving grin, Emma retorted with, "Like...sandwiches! And pasta." She had to quickly look away from meeting Regina's eyes again.

"Really, Miss Swan? I'm loathe to think about what you're feeding Henry these days. Why don't I make a nice glazed chicken with a side of asparagus and rosemary potatoes? You are familiar with the idea of something that's not made from a box, are you not?"

Emma smirked and responded, "Yeah, Granny's has all kinds of things we eat from scratch." She and Henry probably ate there at least every other day. When Snow was too busy to cook, or they were out and about, or lunchtime. Emma had never been really one to settle into a cooking routine.

If Regina could have rolled her eyes into the top of her head, Emma thought she would have managed it that time. "You may bring dessert. I think that would also show a united front. I understand Granny's makes some acceptable desserts."

Oh, dessert. Emma could get behind a good dessert. "I'm sure she can provide an apple cobbler or something." She gave her best devilish smirk and winked, poking fun at Regina's idea of healthy food, "And hey, cereal comes in a box, and that's okay! I suppose you fed him a three course breakfast every day? Or would it be five?" She ticked off items on her fingers as she mentioned them "Eggs, toast, waffles, pancakes, juice? Or would it be fruit, granola, yogurt, juice, and...something else healthy." Okay, so she couldn't actually think of that many healthy things. Sue her.

"Mock me as much as you like, but feeding Henry a balanced diet is what a responsible parent does. However, he is still a child, and there are times when he had cereal for breakfast. His favorite is Apple Jacks." Oh, there were so many things Emma wanted to say to that, but Regina cut her off too soon. Apple Jacks. Of all the cereals for the Evil Queen's son. "Please keep your comments to yourself. That was entirely his choice. I had nothing to do with it."

She swallowed the words that wanted to come bubbling out and said instead in a half-mocking voice, "Hmm. I was always partial to Cinnamon Toast Crunch."

"I honestly don't understand your disdain for good, quality food. It's far less likely to kill you than the tripe you normally eat, and Henry never seemed to complain."

Emma scrunched up her nose at the thought. "I don't disdain quality food. I just don't understand why healthy food has to taste like it was scraped off the bottom of a shoe, or as if it was dried out and all the taste was removed purposefully. I like to enjoy food. What's wrong with that?"

"What do you feed my son, Miss Swan?" Emma raised her eyebrow at Regina. She sounded annoyed, but her eyes gave away the fact that she was enjoying this conversation more than she was letting on.

Smiling at her little victory, Emma shrugged, and lied through her teeth. "I feed him hot dogs, mostly. What else do kids eat? Oh, and those uh...Kraft things. Lunchables. He loves 'em."

Despite her attempts to sound annoyed, Regina began to smile, which was infectious to Emma. She couldn't help but smirk as well. The brunette sat back in the chair. "Clearly, you've never had good, quality food. Let me cook something for you, and you'll see how healthy food is actually supposed to taste. I'll cook more than is needed, and you may take the rest home so Henry has something to eat other than processed foods."

Emma's smirk grew wider and she teased, "That...almost sounds like a date, Regina. Dinner? Will there be a show as well? And hey. Not everything is processed! Sometimes he visits my parents for dinner."

Regina scoffed, "You live with your parents, and don't flatter yourself. This is not a date. This is my attempt to make certain my son is fed actual food from time to time.'

Emma didn't try to remain stern. She gave an amused smile and said, "I meant he visits with them for dinner. Instead of it just being me and him, it's all of us, which means they cook and I don't microwave something. Besides, if all you wanted to do was make sure Henry was fed, then all you had to do was drop off food and leave me out of it. No, you said, 'Let me cook for you.' You were being nice to me. Admit it." Emma didn't know why this was so important to her. She only knew that her heart was doing a little flip at the idea that Regina was doing something nice for her. For her and not just for Henry.

She came crashing back to earth when Regina gave a dismissive snort and said, "Stop avoiding the topic at hand. We're supposed to be discussing visitation with Henry. Assuming you're fine with my dinner plans, What time should I expect Henry... and you ...for dinner tomorrow?"

"Fine." Emma threw her hands up in a show of surrender. It was just a momentary fluke. Her heart was probably subconsciously thinking of something else. Yes, that must have been it. Or it wasn't her heart at all. Maybe she had indigestion. "You're making the dinner, you tell me when to show up with Henry and I'll be there. Okay?"

"Tomorrow evening, 6PM," Regina responded, while glancing at her watch, "Try not to be late, and have Henry bring his homework. He can finish it in my study after dinner."

Emma frowned and snapped, "One minute is not late!" Of course, Regina was unfazed by her declaration. She sighed and conceded, "Tomorrow it is." She stood up and playfully glared at the brunette still seated in that fancy chair. "This better be the best damn glazed chicken I've ever tasted, or I may have to request only lasagna for future dinners."

Still unable to goad the woman, she sighed as Regina simply tilted her head. raised an eyebrow and calmly looked at her. "I reserve my lasagna for special occasions and celebrations. Perhaps another day, Sheriff Swan." The older woman stood and waved her toward the front of the house. "I think we're done here."

Emma nodded and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans on her way out. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, Regina." Oddly, for the first time ever she was looking forward to a visit with Regina Mills.


	2. September 2nd, After Dinner

_**Chapter Two**_  
_**Sept. 2nd, Monday Evening**_  
_**Mayor's House, After Dinner**_

Emma felt like she'd never need to eat again. She'd never admit it to Regina, but that was the best damn chicken she'd ever had. With one hand pressing against her overly stuffed stomach, she stood in the stark, unfriendly study and tried to decide where to sit. She settled into the chair that Regina had occupied during their last visit...meeting...with a groan. The couch was too big. It made her feel exposed, and with her current state of post-food bliss, she could see herself falling asleep on it. Unacceptable.

Regina was at the bar, and Emma watched her through half-closed eyes, her head resting against the back of the chair. That is, until Regina swooped toward her and handed her a drink. She sat up, and regarded it carefully while the brunette seated herself on the couch. She chose to trust that it wasn't drugged this time and carefully took a sip. She glanced at Regina, and then really looked at her. How did the woman manage to look so fantastic no matter what she was doing? She tried to manage a 'faraway' look through the woman so that she could check her out. When Regina finally spoke, she jumped a little, especially since the woman was giving her a predatory smile. "Did you enjoy dinner, Miss Swan? I've taken the liberty of packing enough food to last both you and Henry for a few days."

"I think you were trying to feed an army, Regina. You know Henry may be growing but he's still just a boy," Emma responded while shifting a little uncomfortably under Regina's gaze and raised eyebrow. She looked away and added quietly, "It was delicious. Thank you."

Emma looked determinedly away as Regina was clearly uncomfortable with her next words. "You are…" she began, and then practically had to force out the next word, "...welcome." Emma was actually surprised she didn't try to just shift off the obligatory response, that is, until Regina's next words. "I told you I would make enough for you to take home for you and Henry to have food for a few days. I was simply keeping my word." That sounded more like the regal woman she knew. And then Regina surprised the hell out of her by saying, even though it was obviously distasteful to her, "And... thank you for helping clean up."

It floored Emma. She carefully answered, "It was nothing. Thanks for, " She turned to look at Regina as she finished making eye contact, "keeping your word."

For the first time in her memory, Emma noticed that Regina looked away first and down toward her cider. "How's the cider, dear?" she questioned mildly. Emma also noticed that Regina called her dear, rather than 'Miss Swan' or 'Sheriff'. She put that away for future reference.

"The cider is the best, as always." Emma complimented with a shy smile. "Maybe someday you can teach me how you make it?" As soon as the words left her mouth she winced. This wasn't how the arrangement was supposed to go, she was supposed to be seeing herself out eventually. "Teach Henry, I mean." She desperately tried to ignore the blush she felt rising. "You know, pass on the family secret?" She knew her face was bright red now, but she looked up from her cider anyway. As she suspected, Regina was smirking at her. "To Henry." she added once more for emphasis.

To Emma's surprise, Regina genuinely chuckled at her. "Perhaps," she simply responded before sipping at her drink. "One day." Emma ducked her head again as Regina tilted her head over the rim of her glass. Did that mean Regina wasn't expecting Emma to flit out of the situation? "I'm pleased to see Henry's been keeping up with his studies," Regina said, changing the subject, much to Emma's relief. "It's always been difficult to get him to focus. I suppose that's a 'family trait' of his that he gets from you. What is he working on now? I saw a book in his bag. What do they have him reading?"

Defending her family honor, Emma protested, "He is extremely focused if he is interested in the topic!" She was stunned by the question about school and she gave Regina a confused look, "Should I know what he's reading? All I ever see are comic books. Anything from school looks like an encyclopedia, so I figure it's for research of some kind." She felt her blush creeping back in at the fact that she hadn't taken much of an interest in Henry's school work. She felt out of her depth when it came to parenting.

Emma winced as Regina rolled her eyes and scoffed at her. "Would it kill you," the other woman began harshly, "to be a good parent from time to time?" Her eyes were drawn to the brunette's actions as she put down her drink and shifted back onto the sofa. "Yes, you should always know what he's doing in school. How can you help him and engage him in conversations about what he's learning if you don't know what it is he's actually doing? Much of what a child learns, Miss Swan, comes from active interest from their parents."

"Honestly, sometimes I think you were raised by wolv…" Emma glared at Regina as she spoke. Though in the back of her mind she knew it was probably the longest they'd ever gone without insulting each other, comments about her upbringing always hit her hard. She tried to mentally count to ten. It didn't work.

When Regina paused, Emma assumed she was disgusted by her. She snapped back defensively, anger rising, "Well how would I know? It isn't like I had an example! My foster parents never asked me about school. They only paid attention if I didn't do the work or if a teacher sent home a note. Usually the only thing they," she scowled and closed her mouth abruptly, shaking her head in the negative. That was more ammunition than she wanted to give the former evil queen. "You know, I'm not going to tell you that. Do I have to remind you why I didn't grow up with my parents?"

Regina winced, and Emma immediately felt guilty for her comment. The former queen certainly didn't need a reminder of her past. She counted to ten again in her head as Regina spoke. "I realize parenting is a new experience for you," she began, "Perhaps I can help? After all this is Henry's future we are speaking of. I want him to have the best, don't you? Part of that is active involvement in his education. I had a great deal of time before Henry came to become prepared for what he'd learn. I am willing to share what I know with you." Regina smiled and Emma narrowed her eyes, trying to find the catch in the situation. "For Henry's sake, of course."

She groaned and gave in. "Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it." She shrugged, finished off her cider and placed it on the coffee table, ignoring the chiding stare for blatantly ignoring the coaster. "I ask him about his day, and he shares, but that doesn't mean I know how to find out what I need to know." She leaned back and crossed her arms, scowling in irritation to mask the fact that she was way out of her depth here, and continued, "Or make sure he's doing well, exceeding expectations, having his best chance." Emma dropped her arms and her shoulders. "I still want that," she said in a softer tone, unable to hide the sadness that briefly flitted across her face, "despite everything."

Regina was watching her curiously and Emma fought the urge to look away. She listened intently as the brunette spoke, using the same tone she used to use for town meetings when giving information. "Like all children," she replied, "Henry doesn't tell you what he thinks you shouldn't know. Which means, naturally, he won't tell you anything that would cause him to do more work or might get him into trouble." Regina paused as if to wait for a response. Emma nodded to show she was listening and understood and she went on. "It's your job to ask him more than 'how was your day'. You should ask him exactly what he's learning in school, ask to see his homework once he's completed it each night, and offer your help if the school sends notes home that say they need volunteers."

"Be active in his life, Miss Swan, not just a casual, passing friend," Regina chastised. Emma felt a pang at her words, because it was exactly what she was trying to avoid doing with Henry. Having never had a family be more than 'in passing' she wanted to be better for her son. " I've always tried to be involved in Henry's schooling as much as he'd tolerate, but, as you might imagine, he rarely appreciated my presence. I'm sure he'd welcome yours, however." Emma was always impressed at Regina's ability to both sound sad and also make her feel as though she was something less than worthy of anything Henry bestowed upon her. She looked away towards a picture on the wall to regain her emotional balance.

Only half listening now, Emma focused on something on the far wall. "I can help you if you're uncertain of how to help him when he needs assistance with his homework," Regina continued "If you want," she offered again, "we can have a standing time each weekday where he comes here with you to do his homework so that we're both here and available." Emma turned back to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps we could simply assume we'll have dinner as a," Regina winced and she picked up on it easily. Was she about to say the word family? Emma blinked slowly and waited for her to finish. Regina quickly emphasized, "together each weeknight?"

Emma shook her head slowly as if to clear it of the feeling of being impressed with Regina, but it didn't work. So, she simply began to manipulate Regina into a situation where she could offer a compliment. It wasn't like her, but with the former queen one always had to play a game. "How did you manage to do all of this by yourself? Dinner every night, helping with his homework, volunteering, running the town, and knowing everything that went on?"

"Truthfully, I wasn't always so well put together." When that was all Regina said, Emma thought maybe she'd failed in her set-up, but then the woman sighed and went on, "When Henry first came home, there was an...adjustment period, but I quickly learned the key was preparation and keeping a very accurate datebook." Emma watched a frown appear and wondered what Regina was remembering. "And I suppose I really ought to be fair to my secretary, Hazel. She was always there to remind me of important dates regarding the town when I became too occupied with Henry."

Emma regarded Regina with honest awe. "I know everyone was...in a haze, but Henry wasn't." She smirked and continued, "And I bet you always sent him to school with his lunch packed, too, didn't you?" She didn't actually mean for an answer to that, so she went on. "I think everyone believes you'll snap. That you'll burn the town down, or do something else evil-queenish." Of course, Regina rolled her eyes at the made-up adjective, but Emma soldiered on, "But the more I get to know Henry, the more I see the boy you raised, the less I believe you could hurt him. At least not without hurting yourself." Emma gave Regina an exceedingly proud smile, her heart doing that strange flip thing in her chest again.

Regina shrugged and Emma's face fell slightly. "I'm glad you can see that I would never hurt my son. I'm not as cruel as everyone here would have you believe. That book of Henry's is a very one-sided affair, don't you think? Everyone knows the story of Snow White. No one knows the story of…"

Emma raised an eyebrow at the over abundance of emotion in the brunette's words as she trailed off. It was rare to hear Regina express that sort of emotion, and something inside her twisted strangely. She almost didn't respond, but she felt an intense need to reassure Regina. She spoke softly. "I think you can be cruel. I think you've been "evil" in the past. You killed Graham. You've done countless things to me since I arrived in this town. I…" Emma almost just stopped talking, but she felt this was important, "I know there are two sides to every story. I can't claim to be innocent. I've done things in order to survive. I'm willing to start over with you because of Henry."

Regina abruptly stood up and Emma followed her, assuming their conversation was at an end. "Well, it's of little consequence now. Right now, what matters is ensuring Henry grows up better than either of us. Are we agreed? Dinners here on the weekdays? I'll even give you a lunch to take back with you for Henry, and, if you'd like, you as well. You could stand to eat something healthy once in awhile."

"Between dinner here every night during the week, and my parent's cooking on the weekend, I think your fears about Henry's eating habits could be laid to rest," she responded, amused by the thought.

They walked together to the front door, and Emma looked around. For the first time, it didn't seem so uninviting and cold. "Yes, we're agreed," she said, and then added as an idea, "And, after dinner, you can tell me and Henry a story about your world. Even if you don't think it matters now, Henry might want to hear it from you. How you saw the world you grew up in, for example? Or maybe his mother's real story? I'll even trade you. You tell us about your world, and I'll tell you...some of mine."

Clearly this was the wrong idea, because Regina changed attitudes so fast that it almost made Emma's head spin. "That is absolutely out of the question," she snapped, "I won't discuss that period of time. It's passed now, and that land, such as it was, no longer exists, as you very well know. I am willing to 'start again' with you for the sake of Henry, but there are certain aspects of my past that I will not share." Emma's eyes widened in surprise and she took a step back away from the woman as she snarled. "If Henry wants to know something specifically, he can ask me." Then, Regina seemed to become suddenly much calmer. "Don't you think," She asked quietly, "the important thing at this point is not to continue rehashing the past but to focus on something more agreeable in the future?"

Emma threw up her hands in annoyed frustration. It was like taking one step forward and three steps back. "Hell, Regina, I didn't mean you had to talk about you. I just meant about the place you grew up. I guess I can't expect you to see how Henry would like that. It's not like he soaks up the stuff from that book like it's better than ice cream. But hey. Whatever. We'll never talk about it again."

"Miss Swan, I think you misunderstand." Emma couldn't wait to hear how she misunderstood being snarled and raged at. She waited more patiently than she really wanted to. "My... life wasn't anything that Henry would find enjoyable. The life of a child of royalty was, quite frankly, boring. The majority of my days were filled with studying the impossibly detailed goings on of the court and learning to read and write better than any man of the day could." This made Emma raise a querulous eyebrow. "Mother insisted that I be better than they were. It was the only way to stay ahead of the game. There was much studying and little time for much of anything else, though occasionally I was allowed horseback riding lessons."

Regina sighed heavily, and it was this moment that Emma became determined to find out everything about the former evil queen's past that she could. The real stories. "There was no fighting dragons or whatever else catches Henry's fancy from that book of his. My days were completely filled with learning all the rules of court or being punished for not doing something correctly." Emma became even more determined when she saw Regina's face fall and a dark emotion cross her face. There was always two sides to every story. "Once I was married to the king, my days were filled with being, as you would more than likely crudely put it, arm candy and a surrogate mother for Snow White."

"At the age of 18, you can imagine how incredibly exciting I found any of that to be. Henry would be very disappointed in any stories I had to tell. Your charming father would have stories better to Henry's liking." Sure he would, but not to Emma's liking. Suddenly all her attention was focused on Regina.

Emma shifted uneasily back and forth, a little unprepared for the intense desire to both find out everything about Regina, and also comfort the woman because she still had that dark look on her face. She awkwardly stuffed her hands in her pockets to suppress the desire to reach out and reassuringly touch her. She looked down at the ground and said in a quiet tone, "I guess I don't understand much about your world, even having been there, either. I thought maybe Henry would like the stories simply because you were telling them, for once, rather than him sneaking around you and learning from someone else. I won't bring it up again. Not like I really wanted to tell the kid about my past, either."

"As I said before, it doesn't matter now," Regina said dryly.

Emma continued to frown. She decided to just cut her losses and run. "Thanks for being so willing to cook for Henry. And for me, though I know you only add me in because of Henry. I should probably get going soon. I wouldn't want to put you out for too long."

"It's fine, Sheriff," Regina said while stepping back and clearly away from Emma. "Shall we attempt this again tomorrow night at the same time? This time, I'll cook steak. Will that do?"

"Steak sounds wonderful. I'll," Emma paused, looking up with an awkward apology written across her face, "pick up a different dessert?"

Regina nodded and Emma took that moment to brush past her and out the door. "Yes, that will do. I will see you then, Miss Swan. Don't be late."

Emma protested weakly in response to the jibe, "I wasn't late." She turned around to the still open door and said, "I was differently on time!" The door slammed expectedly in her face and she turned and shuffled away.

**Many thanks for reading! Remember to find Regina's POV over at Adm_Hawthorne's account, and see you next Friday!**


	3. September 3, Before Dinner

_**Chapter 3**_  
_**September 3, Tuesday Evening**_  
_**Mayor's House**_

It wasn't far of a walk from her home to the former mayor's mansion, and Emma needed the time to clear her head after fighting with her parents. They weren't happy that Emma was bothering to spend time with Regina. They thought it was a waste of time, that the evil queen would never change, and that it wasn't good for Henry. She had stormed out of the house. By the time she reached Regina's place, however, her anger had burned away to a dull exhaustion.

Though she knocked lightly,Regina seemed to have no trouble hearing her and opened her front door with a smirk. "You're here on time," she said while stepping aside to let Emma in, "That's refreshing." Emma didn't bother to respond to the intended slight. She didn't feel like making this 'late-not late' conversation a routine. Instead she stared tiredly at the floor and sighed.

"Henry arrived a bit early," Regina offered as she made her way toward the kitchen. Not even mention of her son could rouse Emma's mood. It just reminded her that her parents thought Henry would be corrupted by Regina. It sent a sharp, unpleasant feeling through her that she had a negative thought about Henry being alone with his other mother. "He's in the den watching some cartoon with a talking dog and a boy with flame colored hair. I've never really understood the entertainment value in cartoons, honestly."

Regina gave her a confused look when talking about what Henry was watching. Emma didn't know whether it had something to do with her, Henry, or the cartoon, so she shrugged lightly in response but said nothing, which caused the other woman to narrow her eyes at her. "At any rate," she continued as she walked into the kitchen. "If you'd like, you can join him, or, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you may join me in the kitchen. I'm still in the middle of cooking our meal for tonight."

Emma needed a drink before facing Henry's everlasting optimism. She plopped down onto a stool and dropped her head onto the cool countertop. "I'll stay here. It's been a...day." She groaned into the surface. "Do you have anything stronger than cider to drink? I'd like to rid myself of the aftertaste of dealing with, well, everyone. Between dealing with Gold this morning, and my parents this afternoon, I may not be the best company."

"It's been my experience that anytime one deals with Gold, or your parents, one comes away with a bad taste in one's mouth," Regina replied, and Emma nodded against the countertop. That was a bad idea in retrospect, and she picked her head up slightly and rubbed at her forehead before dropping it back down. "What is the imp up to these days? Making deals for people's souls, manipulating innocents into doing his dirty work again, or has he finally fallen down low enough to actually steal candy from babies?"

Emma raised her head slightly again to answer. "His usual, shady business deals, and tracking down shady business deals from Gold tests the limit of my patience." Her head returned to the countertop with a light thud. She imagined that Regina enjoyed seeing her like this, but couldn't muster up enough care to rally herself. Even though she wasn't looking at the brunette, she had an image of Regina smirking behind her back.

"He's never been known for being easy to deal with," the brunette commented, and Emma thought she wasn't even talking to her, but to herself. "And I can only imagine what those two idiots are doing. What is the saying? Good intentions paved the road to Hell." She grunted in response.

Emma listlessly explained the need-to-know about her parents, "They don't think we should be spending as much time over here as I've agreed to. They have this idea that you're a 'bad' influence on me. We fought."

"I'll fix you a drink," Regina said, and Emma was a little shocked that she didn't tease or torment her in any way. "I assume something with vodka is fine?"

"Vodka would be wonderful. Thank you." That Regina was actually being nice was enough to get Emma to sit up in order to keep a closer eye on her. She knew she probably looked terrible, but she didn't care.

Regina seemed to get more agitated as she made drinks, and it came out in her voice. "I'm a bad influence on the Saviour? Really?" Emma was always struck by how Regina could make eye-rolling look regal. "Now _there's_ an interesting thought. Not that I claim to be an expert on these things, but isn't the saying 'good always wins?" Emma listened intently to her rant while staring at the counter. "I'd hardly call it 'winning' if I am influencing _you_."

Regina handed over one drink and Emma was drawn to her lips as she drank. She shook her head lightly and looked away again as the brunette continued. "Honestly, Snow has always been one for over exaggeration, even as a child. The simplest of things she could blow into monstrous proportions if she was so of mind, and she would never seem to be in the wrong because her actions were always with 'the best of intentions."

Regina growled, and it made Emma's head spin around to look at her so fast she might have gotten a little dizzy. "And Gold can die in a fire." The other woman set her glass down and turned to the oven. "I'm going to tend to the steaks. They should be close to done. Go get Henry, and, when you get back, you'll find a long island waiting for you. I suddenly feel the need for something more than just vodka."

Emma slid off the stool and said, "I don't want to talk about it anymore, especially not in front of Henry. You know he believes good always wins, he can't see that sometimes you can't see what the whole truth is. Thanks for the drink, I needed it." She frowned slightly and turned in the entryway before walking out, needing to leave on a positive note. "The food smells delicious," she began, and then gave a mischievous smile. "I'll be ruined for microwave food forever. What will I do without my ramen?"

Regina smiled at her, and it was exactly what Emma needed. "Reduce your carb intake, I would imagine. Go get Henry so you can watch and learn how to get him to actually tell you what he's doing in school." She began putting their food on plates, and Emma lingered to watch for a moment. "Pay very close attention, Sheriff. There will be a quiz afterward."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I never did very well with tests. But sure, I'll watch you. If you can get him to tell you something he's doing wrong, I'll eat only healthy things for a week," she hesitated before finishing the bet and added, "...for lunch." And then she determinedly said, "The bear claws stay, though!"


	4. September 3, After Dinner

_**Chapter 4**_  
_**September 3, Tuesday Evening**_  
_**Mayor's House, After Dinner**_

Emma should have known better than to make bets on a day like today. At least Regina was proving wine to soothe her loss. The woman certainly knew how to sweep into a room and fill it up with her presence. "When you decide which healthy items you'll have for lunch for the next week," the brunette said, sitting down in her apparently preferred chair and handed a glass over to Emma, "remember that anything processed or made with sugar is definitely _off_ of the menu."

Emma rolled her eyes at the obvious comment and responded, "Today is really not my day. I shouldn't have made any bets. I usually know better." Unwilling to let Regina see how much it had really gotten to her, she shrugged. "At least it's only for a week. I almost said longer." From behind the rim of her glass, she commented in an amused voice, "You win, Regina."

"I do so love hearing those words." Regina gave Emma a brief radiant smile at her moment of victory and Emma didn't have to guess what she was thinking. "However, I'm much less pleased to find that Henry's been getting into fights at school. How could you have not known this?" Ah, there was the glare Emma knew was coming. She couldn't really defend herself. Should she throw herself at the mercy of Regina's years of parenting experience and beg for mercy? "It doesn't matter who or what he was defending, that is not acceptable."

Emma set down her glass, leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest as if to hold herself in check. She tried to choose her words carefully, to...distract from her abysmal parenting skills. "I'm not you, Regina, I deal with things in my own way." She had a thought then that might have been her saving grace, and voiced it. "Why didn't the school call me? If it is such a big deal, wouldn't they have called?" She looked away from Regina as she talked, and a range of emotions including anger and annoyance crossed her face.

"They must have called your apartment," the brunette explained, "I suggest you talk to your parents about this when you go back tonight."

Emma twitched and glanced back at Regina briefly. "I'll talk to my parents. Can't promise it will be tonight. Things weren't left the best earlier." She left out the part where she had stormed out and wasn't even sure she wanted to go back. If it was only her, she'd stay in her car, or somewhere else. But she knew that wouldn't be good for Henry, so she would force herself to face the music with her parents later. She sighed, picked up her wine again and sipped at it. "I hope you know that I don't want Henry getting into fights either, but I don't want to tell him that standing up for himself or others is wrong." She gave Regina a determined glare and said, "There won't always be someone to step in and protect him. There wasn't for me. Was there for you?"

"No." It was a simple word, but Emma heard all of the weight behind it. This time it was Regina that couldn't meet her gaze. After a pause she continued, "But we're not talking about our past. We're talking about Henry's present, and right now he has plenty of people who care about him and can be there to support him."

Emma nodded in agreement with her statement. After all, he certainly had more family and friends than the both of them combined. "He's a lucky kid," she commented.

They made eye contact and Emma's heart chose that moment to make its opinion about how pretty Regina's eyes were known. She tamped down that reaction with a harsh word inside her brain and looked away. Regina's tone was pleading as she said, "Exactly, and I don't want him going through life thinking he has no other option but to fight."

Emma had no response to that, especially since she was still just a little bit focused on the image of the different browns and golds in Regina's eyes and how they seemed to light up just a bit whenever she was talking about Henry. It was a beautiful image. "We need to agree on what we're going to tell him regarding this situation," Regina said in a tired voice. It caused Emma to start, she was still lost in her eyes. "Standing up for what he believes in or for ones he cares for is fine." Emma was in agreement on this and nodded her head, but she grew annoyed when Regina's shoulders fell and a similar frown appeared across her face. "However, if he gets into a fight every time someone says something derogatory about me, he'll never stop fighting. Though," the brunette paused, tilting her head in thought, "I must admit, I can't say it doesn't please me to hear he _is_ standing up for me."

"I wasn't surprised Henry stood up for you," Emma stated simply and seriously. She sipped at her wine again, using the glass as an excuse not to look at the other woman. "He has before when it came down to it." She rubbed at her face with her free hand in thought. "It'd be nice if he didn't have to. What do you suggest? Pulling him out of school? You know he'll never get away from the comments about you. Someone could tutor him," she suggested.

Of course Regina was opposed to her idea and showed it by shaking her head vigorously. "No, pulling him out will only make things worse for him in the long run. Perhaps we need to explain when and how to choose his battles so that he fights only the battles truly worth fighting?"

Emma vehemently defended her opinion. "I don't think it would be worse for him in the long run. He wouldn't have to deal with the issue, _and_ he would have a personal teacher." She tossed back her drink in one gulp and returned the glass to the table. "Henry is a smart kid; he would fly past the other students with one on one guidance. If he's already having problems, why holding him back by making it harder?" She gave the older woman a sympathetic look. "No one will forget that you raised him till now, and no one will accept that he still has contact with you." She frowned again and looked away. "At least not for awhile." Maybe if...no, she couldn't have that thought yet. She squelched it with all of the mental fire of ten thousand flames.

"Running from his problems will not solve them, Miss Swan," Regina countered while standing gracefully and pacing slowly around her study. Emma's eyes followed her around the room, though she scowled at her insulting words, "That is one character trait I'd rather he not pick up from you. He needs to learn how to properly deal with this. As you point out, this will be a never ending issue for him." She paused on her route and took a sip of wine. "It's best he learns how to handle it appropriately now. You're right when you say he's a smart boy." Regina gave Emma an approving nod, and continued, "He is, and we need to trust in his intelligence that he can learn how to deal with the fact that he's a child of both of us."

Emma tried a different tactic. She held up her hands innocently and said, "I'm not saying to run from them. I'm saying to take a break until they blow over." She glared at Regina and snapped, "I don't always run. I'm here, aren't I? I stayed here. He's our son, and I'm sure he'll get all the best and worst…" She dropped her hands to her lap as she considered both Regina and her own pasts. "You know…" she began again softly, "now that I think about it, we do need to make sure he deals with problems constructively."

Regina nodded her head slightly at her, perhaps acknowledging what she _didn't_ say and replied in a flat tone, "That is exactly my point." The brunette began pacing again with the Sheriff's eyes following her around the room. "The idea that he would handle his problems as any of us in his immediate family might is distasteful to me. Surely it must be to you, as well?" Her eyes glazed over and Emma blinked at the former queen's strange look. "Henry was named after a man with a gentle soul and a good heart, but he was a coward." She paused, and Emma was worried for a moment about her emotional state. "Our son should have both and still know when to stand up and when to fight another day. Now is as good a time as any to begin teaching him that lesson, don't you think?"

"Of course I think this is a good ti…" Emma's jaw dropped. She looked at Regina with absolute stunned silence for a long moment. "You said 'our' son," she commented with wonder, finally.

Until Regina snorted and killed it. "It was a momentary slip of the tongue. I meant _my_ son of course." Emma noticed how she looked away from her as she spoke. Being quite familiar with the gesture's purpose, she recognized the lie tell when she saw it.

"Of course," Emma replied, complete with eye roll. "Why would I think otherwise? I was only pointing it out so you didn't slip again." She sighed for the seemingly lost cause. "Wouldn't want anyone to think you were going soft about Henry.

"Perish the thought," the older woman replied dryly. "Another drink?"

Standing up, Emma nodded and held out her glass. "I'd love one, thanks." She awkwardly shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "I was thinking," she began, shifting back and forth on her feet, "if this week goes well, Henry could just stay Friday night. If he wants to, that is." She looked at Regina and noted the surprised look on her face. "Since I usually get called away on that night to pick up our regular drunks for disturbing the peace, he'd be staying with my parents anyway…" She trailed off, hoping that the blanks were easy for Regina to fill in.

Regina wasn't in shock for very long. She answered in a barely wavering voice, "So long as Henry is agreeable to it, I don't see a problem with that arrangement."

Emma broadly smiled and said, "It should be fine. I can swing by sometime after I wake up Saturday to pick him up."


	5. September 4, Before Dinner

_**Chapter 5**_  
_**September 4 , Wednesday Evening**_  
_**Mayor's House, Pre-Dinner**_

Her life was rapidly turning into a series of slamming doors. The one she just banged behind her as she once again stormed out of her parents house in a mad rush was just another in a long line of doors abused by Emma Swan's currently irrational temper. She was hanging on by a hair to that relationship as it was, and their constant need to remind her that Regina was _evil_ and _nasty_ and _up to no good_, as if she couldn't take care of herself and Henry, was beginning to grate on her.

Emma was a little unnerved by the fact that every fight with her parents seemed to drive her right into the metaphorical arms of the former Mayor. Regina would probably never open her arms wide and offer her a hug, but the fact that she was drawn to the woman's house after a fight with her parents these days was telling. And judging by the look of surprise on Regina's face when she answered the door, Emma thought maybe she should have driven around the town for an extra half hour instead. "Sheriff, you're early today. Isn't that an unexpected surprise?" Emma noted her words carefully. She knew the difference between the unexpected and the pleasant. She chose to hope that Regina just didn't want to give away her feelings. That would be more like the woman she knew and…

"Henry hasn't made it from school as of yet, and I haven't even started on dinner." Emma blinked and looked down at the floor. Had she really been about to say those words, even in her head? Nope. Just a fluke. She'd admit she cared about what happened to the brunette, but she wouldn't use that word. They weren't even friends. They only had this thing going on with Henry. Like divorced parents. Somewhere to her side she heard "It's pork chops, in case you're wondering." She wasn't even remotely hungry, her stomach was still rolling with anger and a bit of rejection. What did it matter if her "parents" didn't trust her judgement? Apparently it mattered more than she wanted to believe. "Did you have another rough day with your parents and Mr. Gold, dear? You don't seem quite your usual, buoyant self."

She sighed, shuffled to face Regina, and shrugged, "Just my parents." Bits of the conversation flooded back into her mind. She used to think that if she ever found her real parents that they'd accept her for exactly who she was, unlike all of her foster homes. Snow and Charming seemed to be one step away from throwing her out like all the rest. She hugged herself out of an old unconscious reflex. "Apparently they made plans for this weekend without telling me, and they're mad I won't back out of our arrangement. I told them they could keep the Saturday night plans but apparently 'that's not good enough'. I'm," _not good enough_. She paused, unwilling to finish the statement with those words and hand that weakness over to Regina, who was not entirely her enemy, but not her friend either. "Tired of fighting with everyone," she finished, "Can I just hide out here? I'd like to sleep for a week or three…"

Emma followed Regina into the kitchen. She couldn't even bring herself to watch the woman walk, she was that upset. Well, maybe just a little peek. The former mayor did have a nice ass. "I have a guest room, but I don't believe the town, or your parents for that matter, would appreciate the Savior sharing quarters with the Evil Queen." Honestly, Emma wanted to say she didn't give a shit about what anyone thought but Henry. His was the only opinion that mattered to her. But she couldn't give that away. She couldn't tell Regina that come hell or high water she'd choose to be on the side of the Evil Queen. What would that say about the "White Knight", the "Savior"? And what would it say that she couldn't explain _why_ she felt that way? "However, if you were here, then so would be my son. I'm willing to tolerate you for the sake of having Henry home again." There was the other reason Emma kept her mouth shut. Regina didn't give a shit about her, she merely did everything for her for Henry's sake. That would put her in an embarrassing situation faster than anything.

She watched as Regina began making dinner, sliding on to her barstool. _Her _barstool? When did anything in this house become hers? She laid her head down briefly as Regina continued. "The better question is this, Sheriff. Are you willing to tolerate the belligerence of this town because you're here in my home for the sake of a few nights of peace?" Emma picked up her head and met Regina's eyes. She knew that the ulterior motive was Henry, but the offer was so tempting. "_I_ have no issue leaving you completely alone, so long as you're not a slob and pull your own weight in cleaning duties."

The idea that she could pull her own weight in cleaning against Regina's obvious need for pristine surroundings made her laugh, but she didn't want to voice that thought. "We'd probably spark another angry mob," she commented instead. She tilted her head in a desire to keep the offer open. "Maybe another time? The actual last thing I need is another mob at your doorstep to placate. I can't even consider a vacation. I'm afraid someone with a fairy-tale land grudge that they're hanging on to will kill someone else out of the blue without my presence to hold them off. And who knows what Gold would get up to if I disappeared into your rooms for a week without coming out?" Okay, that was an interesting thought she'd have to pursue..._later_.

"But for the record," Emma continued, slouching down again on her stool, "I want to run." She heavily sighed. "I'll settle for getting raging drunk instead." She'd never been much of a heavy drinker, but perhaps it was the perfect time to start. There seemed to be little else to do in this town when she wasn't throwing paper basketballs into a trashcan at work.

"I'd rather Henry not see you 'raging drunk'. In fact, _I'd_ rather not see you raging drunk." Emma lifted her head at this odd statement. Was that _care_ Regina was showing her? She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she so badly needed a real friend right now with everything crushing down on top of her. "Perhaps a compromise? You may come here under the pretense of taking Henry to see me anytime the two idiots become too obnoxious to bear, and I will allow you to be anywhere Henry and I are not while you're here." Emma noted that it was both a brush-off and yet not. After all, she would be allowed in the house, right? Maybe with time Regina might actually want just _her_ around. Or at least, want them all together as a...family of sorts. Or maybe Emma was losing her mind with everything that was going on and she was tired of leaving slammed doors in her wake. She just couldn't help herself though. She had to ruin it, the offer was just too nice.

Emma snorted, "Why wouldn't you want to see me drunk? I would think that would help your custody plans. I know you only tolerate me because of Henry, despite your offer of a place to go. Or because you hate my parents so much that the thought I'd run away from them to you makes you happy." Regina tilted her head at her as Emma shot off all of the valid reasons running through her head of why Regina would manipulate the situation to her advantage. "It isn't like you've suddenly decided you want me around. I don't mind when it comes to Henry, but I don't need you to pretend. I get enough of that." She snapped her mouth closed, realizing that she'd let on too much about her current feelings.

Regina didn't seem to notice the last part, and Emma gave a little sigh of relief. "Despite what you may think, Miss Swan," she snapped at her, clearly angry now, "I wouldn't allow you to be in my home if I didn't want you here. Angering your parents and making the town paranoid is simply an added bonus." She whirled and put the food in the oven and Emma looked down, a little chastised by her words.

"That may be the nicest thing you've said to me. I'm touched," Emma said with a smirk, sitting up straighter. Maybe they could be friends, especially with the way Regina was smirking back at her at the moment. "Guess I'll postpone the drinking plans, in honor of our new…" she paused again, wanting to use the right word and not ruin it. Friends was too much. "Thing," she tried.

Apparently it was the _wrong_ word because Regina rolled her eyes so fast that Emma was certain she'd make herself dizzy somehow. "It is _not_ a thing. It is an agreement that works in both of our favors. I have time with my son, and you have an opportunity to get away from that insufferable 'I will always find you' nonsense." The brunette gave her a disgusted look, and Emma was honestly hurt for the first time. She didn't have to sit here and take this kind of abuse. So what if she just wanted to be friends with a former evil Queen?

"Fine," she hissed, sliding off of her stool, "it isn't a _thing_. You know, you enjoy those pork chops with Henry tonight." She headed for the exit. "I'm going to go...do something." Hit something, or cry, or scream. That's what she needed to do.

And apparently, she needed to leave yet another slammed door behind her today.

* * *

**Just so you know, this one was my favorite to write so far. **


	6. September 5, Morning

_**Chapter 6**_  
_**September 5, Thursday Morning**_  
_**Mayor's House**_

Emma didn't want to face Regina this morning. She stood outside her door for a good five minutes trying to decide how to approach the fact that she walked out. She decided to knock and play it by ear. When Regina opened the door, Emma fired off the first questions that came to her mind in the most cheerful voice she could manage. "Good morning! How was your evening and morning with Henry? Did you make him do all of his homework before having any fun? Tell me you at least had ice cream, right? After all, that's what...you know, never mind on that one." She plastered the brightest smile she could on her face.

Regina was scowling at her and Emma's face fell as she shrank inside at the look. "It's nine in the morning, Miss Swan. Where have you been?" It was possibly the coldest tone she'd ever heard from the brunette. "Henry was worried sick. I barely got him to finish his homework last night, and he refused to go to bed at a reasonable hour. We'll be lucky if he doesn't sleep through his classes today." Of course it was about Henry. Regina was pissed off because Henry had been upset over Emma. The countless phone calls and texts that Emma had ignored had nothing to do with Regina caring about what happened to Emma. She had no delusions about that. She could hear the anger rising in the woman's voice.

"I understand you were having an unfortunate evening, but that doesn't excuse you from the responsibilities you've decided to take on." Emma looked down at this, staring at a crack on the front porch with sudden extreme interest. She knew from her younger days that it was better to be silent and allow the lecture than to protest any wrongdoing. She walked out. She caused the situation. It was her fault. "If you're going to go galavanting around town doing God only knows what as if you're 25 again, then you need to at least call to let us know you're going to stay out and that you're okay. You had us…" Emma looked up and blinked. Regina sounded _exactly_ like someone concerned for her well being. She shook off the notion, however, when Regina corrected herself. "_**Henry, you had Henry**_ worried sick."

Emma was shocked and took a moment to respond. "Well," she softly said, shoving her hands awkwardly in her back pockets and shifting back and forth, "I'm sorry." She wanted to offer more than just a weak apology. "I'll find a way to make it up to Henry, since he was so worried about me. Thanks for taking care of him," she offered up, and then added "I'll make it up to you." Emma exhaled heavily and held out her hands in a show of innocence. "I was just out walking through the woods, you know," she explained in an attempt to defend herself, "There was no galavanting. I didn't even drink, I swear." She winced internally at the sound of her own voice, like a teenager coming home after being out all night.

Nothing about Regina softened upon hearing Emma's explanation. If anything, her posture became more rigid, and Emma was about to just give up, walk away, and try again that night for dinner. "The woods around here are dangerous at night, Sheriff," the brunette said, narrowing her eyes at Emma, "What would I have told Henry if you'd gotten hurt by a wolf? Really, is it so difficult for you to be responsible?" She'd heard those words so many times in her life and brushed them off, but this time seemed to hit her hardest. Regina raised an excellent point. Why was it so hard for her to stick to something, to be responsible? She never learned.

"You may make it up to me by picking Henry up and being on time for dinner tonight, and expect to spend the night," Regina finally decreed, and Emma was glad she'd gotten to the 'punishment' part of the lecture. This was something she could easily respond to; something she could fix. Not that she was really given a chance to decline the 'offer'. "The guest room has been made. I'll not have Henry wondering where you are and if you're safe, and it's clear you need away from those two idiots for a while."

Emma wanted to defend her parents against the insult, but she couldn't bring herself to piss off Regina further, especially with her current mood toward the whole situation. "The town be damned, and, if that means I have to tolerate you to keep you from running around like the Dark Knight and leaving Henry half sick with worry, then so be it, but I'll not have you causing even _more_ trauma to our son just because you can't stand your parents' company." Emma was trying to figure out how to head Regina off before she got her second wind of lecturing. She tried smiling. Regina's response was to roll her eyes and mutter "Not that I don't sympathize, goodness knows." She internally cheered as the lecture crisis was avoided.

Emma was about to respond and accept her offer of a place to stay, but the brunette just wasn't done talking yet. "Speaking of, they called me at 10:30 last night and demanded I bring Henry back to their tiny excuse for an apartment. He was already asleep, and I refused to wake him up just to make them happy. If you haven't been home yet, I suggest you go in armed." The look on Regina's face said that she clearly wasn't sorry for this. Emma sighed heavily at the knowledge of what she would be walking into later, and the fact that Regina had no idea what she'd been dealing with the past few days. Sure, it was alright that she hadn't woken up Henry. But Emma was sure that the situation that already had her slamming doors every time she left her apartment was now only going to be worse. Sure enough, Regina's next words confirmed it. "There may have been some words between me and Ms. Blanchard regarding you, Henry, and our current arrangement."

Given the chance to respond at last to the overly-wordy former mayor, Emma rolled her eyes and said, "I can handle myself fine, Regina. Not like there are ogres and trolls here near Storybrooke. If I can take care of the lowlifes that ditch on their bail and a drunken Leroy, I think I'll be alright." Regina just blinked at her. Emma decided to keep her out of the Charming Family Drama saga that was currently her life. She was pretty sure that Regina didn't care if Emma was fighting with her parents or not, unless it was affecting Henry. "Well," she began, "I might as well go all in now that you riled up my parents. Can I stay," she asked, shifting uncomfortably at the idea, "a while? Words may be exchanged when I see them today, and I might need a place to crash." She tried to downplay the entire affair, though she knew Regina knew a little bit about their fighting already. It would be kind of nice for Henry to have his own room again, though. And to have more space...but she was just crashing for a few days. Everything would work out and she'd be back in the Charming household in no time.

Finally, Regina let her in the house. Emma followed her to the kitchen, observing the way her hips swayed carefully as always. "Stay as long as you like so long as Henry is here with you," Regina stated. What did she think, that Emma would leave Henry somewhere else? She was lost in thought about this when Regina handed her a glass of tea and almost spilled it all over herself. Thankfully, she caught it just in time and followed the woman out onto the back porch. She sipped at her drink and glanced around carefully, looking for people who might spot them together and rush off to tell her parents that this was more than just about Henry. It was irrational, yes, but sometimes she couldn't help her irrational thoughts. "If you plan to have an extended stay," Regina demanded, bringing Emma out of her head, "I insist you bring Henry's belongings back home so that he's comfortable."

Regina stopped and cleared her throat, which Emma found odd but brushed it off. "And," she continued, "I suppose, you should bring some of your own belongings as well. I'm not here to be your source of entertainment, so I'll expect you to bring whatever it is that you use for entertainment. What is that now days? The TV Guide?"

Emma smiled brightly and laughed, "You mean I can't spend my days pestering you with questions? Shock and awe. I'm sure I'll manage something to keep myself entertained; I'm not five." Regina smiled back at her and it made her feel warmer inside than she had in days.

"You could have fooled me," Regina responded with a little shrug of her shoulders. "It's settled them. Why don't you go do whatever it is that you do as sheriff, and I'll pick Henry up from school today? That should prove to be interesting if Ms. Blanchard is actually working again. In between the piles of work you have as sheriff, now might also be a good time to pack Henry's belongings." Emma gave her a puzzled look at this, wondering what the rush was. "There's a spare key by the door to my house. Take it. You can bring the items at any time, but _do_ bring them _before_ you have words with your parents." The brunette huffed and took a drink before explaining what the deal was. "The last thing we need is for them to hold Henry's stuffed dragon hostage."

Emma glared at her. "Someday," she said in a low voice, "you should follow me around for the day. I do more for this town than you think I do." Of course, Regina looked at her mockingly, but Emma pressed on. "It takes a lot to keep the peace...surprisingly," she said with a frustrating roll of her eyes, "You would think being a bunch of fairy tale characters in a strange land would create bonding, but no." She couldn't even really take a day off at this point.

"I was their queen for many years and their mayor for many years after that, Sheriff." Emma raised an eyebrow at this. Of course Regina couldn't allow her to have the upper hand in _her_ town about how much work was required. "I know exactly how much management this town and these people require. In fact, I much prefer the politics I had to deal with as mayor to the land disputes and other squabbles I had to endure as their queen. Not that any of this matters, of course." Emma blinked as Regina shook her glass and began chewing on an ice cube. She was so distracted by watching her that she almost forgot to say anything at all. What were they just saying? Right, Henry's things.

"I'll get Henry's things and my own," Emma responded, completely unaware that it was a change of subject. "Maybe a return to how things were would be better for the kid anyway? And I can live anywhere, especially anywhere that doesn't involve me walking in on my parents." Emma smirked as Regina coughed on her tea. She was glad she could pass the horrible mental picture on. "And for the record," she continued, "They aren't terrible. They aren't going to hold Henry's things hostage, you know." Regina was still coughing and Emma looked at her with concern. She wasn't surprised when this was waved off.

It'd been a long time since she had parents to talk about. Well, truthfully she'd never had parents. She had foster parents but they weren't really parents, they just punished her when she was bad and rarely praised her. She outgrew the need for praise. "But I've been too old for parents since I was…" she trailed off, thinking about the last time she'd actively sought out _anything_ from another adult in her life. "Well, I can't even remember. Ten, maybe?" She looked over at Regina and saw that the woman's eyes were closed. Emma figured she was waiting for her to stop talking about herself. She shrugged lightly as Regina stood up.

"I'll see you at 6:30 tonight for dinner," Regina said, firmly changing the subject. Emma stood up slowly, giving her emotional self time to stuff back into the box she tried to keep it in. "Don't be late," the former mayor added with a small smile.

Collected again, Emma brushed off her implied slight with her normal brashness. "I'm never late," she declared with a smile, "I'm early for next time!" It gained her an eyeroll from Regina but she felt it was worth it. Taking a deep breath to fortify herself, she headed out the door and off to face her parents.


	7. September 5, Evening

_**Chapter 7**_  
_**September 5, Thursday Evening**_  
_**Mayor's House**_

Emma shut the door on her beetle and leaned her forehead against it briefly. What she really wanted to do was slam her head repeatedly into it until she passed out on Regina's drive. What she was going to do was take the bag of Henry's things inside, one foot after another. Fishing out her keys, she opened the door and stepped inside.

Emma slipped quietly into the kitchen and just watched Regina move around the kitchen. Her back was to Emma and it took her at least two minutes before she turned around. Emma half wished that she would run and hug her. Was it too much to ask for one friend who would do that when she was having a bad day? All Regina did was almost drop the pan she was holding with a "Miss Swan!" Emma just looked at her tiredly. "You're late, and before you tell me otherwise, it is seven in the evening. Henry and I have already eaten. I've put some…" Emma felt her anger rising. Really, they couldn't wait for her? She bet they hadn't even discussed it. Would it have hurt them to wait a whole half an hour for dinner? "You look awful. What happened? Cat fight with your mother, dear?"

She lost it, snapping at Regina harshly. "You couldn't wait? No, of course you couldn't wait. How could I expect our perfectly punctual princess to hold off to see if I'd show up?" She hoisted Henry's precious things up with a grunt and dropped them on the counter. "Here." she spat out, "Henry's _things_ that you were so concerned about. Including one stuffed dragon." She violently shoved the bag toward Regina and turned away, walking briskly toward the back door. "I'm not hungry. I'll be out back" Why she felt she had to announce where she was going, she had no idea.

Emma dropped into one of the chairs out back and crossed her arms over her chest in an effort to hold herself together. She felt as though she were rapidly coming apart at the seams, "Queen," Regina said as she came out seconds later, correcting her in an authoritative tone. "I haven't been a princess in a very long time." Emma tightened her hold on herself imperceptibly. "That aside, you can't expect me to wait on you. How was I to know when you'd actually get here? Between your job and your parents, if you don't call, then I have to assume the worst. Henry has school tomorrow. He needed to eat so he could do his homework."

Emma didn't want to argue about them waiting on her for dinner. It was a minor thing in the entirety of swirling anger that resided in the middle of her chest. She said nothing, just trying to hold herself together. "What has you so riled?" Regina finally asked, "I thought you were going to bring your and Henry's things earlier today. Speaking of, where are yours? I know you don't have much, but I honestly thought it was more than what was on your back."

"What's the worse you assume, Regina?" Emma snapped at her rhetorically, turning to glare at her. "Is it that I'm so terrible that I wouldn't show up? Or is it that something has actually happened to me?" She tried to rein herself in, tried to make her hold on herself tighter but she couldn't. She couldn't stop the words coming from her mouth. "I'd really like to know whether you're worried about me, or if you simply think I don't care about Henry at all."

Regina mirrored her position, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in the chair. "Do not redirect your anger for your parents toward me, Miss Swan." Emma balled her hands into fists at Regina's tone. "I will only accept the anger which I actually deserve. Whatever's happened tonight is none of my doing. Now, you may either tell me about it or don't, but do not presume that it is acceptable to vomit your ill temper onto me." Emma looked out toward the trees and wished she could scream. "Honestly," she heard Regina ask, "What _have_ those two idiots done this time?"

"Can't you guess?" Emma said in a despondent tone. "You know in your world there are sides, Regina. You can't be on both sides. You can't be in bed with good and evil. And a whole host of other things I'm not supposed to do since I'm the _savior_ of everyone." Her whole life until she'd come to this wretched town she'd been making her own choices. She'd never let anyone tell her what to do, who to be, or how to run her life. Emma Swan was not about to let them dictate out some sort of destiny for her like she had no say in the matter. This was her choice.

"My things are in the car," Emma finished softly, loosening her hold on herself, pulling herself back together. "And no. I don't have a lot of them." A testament to the fact that she hadn't settled down anywhere, _ever_.

"I warned you that it wouldn't be easy." Regina said simply, "However I am surprised they're making things this difficult, especially for you. I...I _am_ sorry." Emma blinked at the apology, surprised that the woman would admit such a thing. She'd never heard Regina apologize to her for _anything_. Or at the very least, show any kind of sympathy for a plight of Emma's. She was floored, and it made her decision to stay feel even more right to her. "I thought that, by now, this world and its views of good and evil might have given a little grey coloring to your parents' views of things."

Regina stood up and walked toward the door. Emma wanted to reach out and grab her, to beg her to stay, but she wouldn't show that kind of weakness. At least not in that way. When the former mayor spoke again it was in a weighted voice, "There's lasagna warming in the oven and a glass of wine on the counter for you. I'll take Henry's things and put them up." Wait, lasagna? Regina had made lasagna? But she only reserved that for..._special occasions_. Emma felt her heart jump in her chest at the idea that Regina made lasagna just because she and Henry were coming to stay. "Have a good evening, Miss Swan," the brunette said, beginning to step inside.

Emma couldn't let her go like that. "Regina," she called, keeping her face carefully facing out away from her into the darkness. She struggled to find the right words. "Whatever my parents do, whatever they say," she paused as the wind shook the apple tree, making the leaves rustle loudly. "It doesn't change anything about what I agreed to. I chose to be here. They can have their 'I will always find you' and their 'good will always win' and their 'true love'. I make my own choices." She made her own way, her own path, her own decisions. She didn't need parents. She sure as hell didn't need a King or Queen ordering her around. "I want to be here. I…" she trailed off, faltering and turning to catch Regina's eyes. She continued in a strong voice, "wanted to be here with you and Henry. Even if that means they're angry at me. Even if that means I'm going to be also pissed off for a while." She stood up, moving around Regina to keep her from running off. "_Stay_. Alright?" She had a pleading look on her face as she closed the door with a soft click.

Regina blinked at her slowly with a stunned expression. "Alright," she said, and began to follow Emma back to the chairs before stopping herself. Emma's face fell, thinking that she'd lost and Regina was about to make an excuse and run off for the rest of the night. "Why don't you step inside and take the plate in the warmer out? Take the wine with you too, and come back out here. I'll be back in a moment. It's a lovely evening, and the company would be nice to have, for a change." Emma frowned at the suggestion that she eat. She was not even a little bit hungry. "The plate shouldn't be too hot for you to carry," Regina explained, and then continued at Emma's look, "You need to eat, Sheriff. I need to take care of something before I join you. I won't be long."

Emma sighed internally and decided that the pretense of eating wouldn't be so bad. She nodded at Regina and then said, "You could at least call me Emma." She felt that was a reasonable request, since she was now a guest in the woman's home. "I'll see you when you get back," she called after her. Emma then turned back out toward the yard, letting a smile bloom across her face. Maybe everything wasn't going right for her, but she felt that this was one thing that was, and that made all of the difference.


	8. September 6, Morning

_**Chapter 8**_  
_**September 6, Friday Morning**_  
_**Mayor's House**_

The house was making noises. Emma laid there in her clothes on the guest bed and reminded herself that the noises were all normal. The hiss was from the radiator. The creaking was just the house settling. Those were just small animals in the trees outside her window, that she had gotten up to open and shut at least twenty times in the past three hours. No one was coming to harm her here. Nothing was going to break in, it was _Storybrooke_ for crying out loud and she was at the _mayor's_ house. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Sleep didn't come. She knew it wouldn't the first night.

Resigned to her fate, she got up and cleared a space in the middle of the bedroom floor. Her routine was situps and pushups, as many as she could do before she was too exhausted to continue. Then rest for a few minutes and repeat. She did this over and over until she felt like her mind would shut off. It was better for her to wear out her body, to make herself so exhausted that she couldn't think about running. Already the choice she made was wearing on her. What was she thinking, choosing to stay here? She could have been halfway to Boston by now with Henry. They could start over, start a new life away from all of this fairy-tale nonsense. She could raise him on her own, right?

Henry would never go for that. He knew she couldn't cook. And Regina...Emma couldn't leave Regina. It wasn't that she was afraid the town would string her up in her absence. It was that she couldn't be one more person in Regina's life to devastate her. She saw the look on the brunette's face the night before when she told her she was choosing to stay. It was...unsettling. It was something she wanted to see again. Emma wanted to be here for Regina, and the thought made her run through another twenty-five push-ups to try to shake it. It was better buried where it wouldn't make her want to flee.

Emma snapped somewhere around three AM. She threw all of her things in a bag and sat on her bed hugging them in a panic, willing herself just to stay seated, to stay for the second time in her life. She sat there, staring at some artwork that matched the decor of the room until she heard Regina get up. This made her somewhat calm, because now she couldn't leave without alerting the former mayor to her plight. She had a logical reason to stay. She fell backwards onto the bed, curled up, and dozed for a very short period of time.

At six fifteen Emma shot up out of her nap, trying to figure out what woke her. A grinding noise came up the stairs from the kitchen, and she figured that meant it was an acceptable time to be awake. She shuffled downstairs and into the room, watching as Regina went through some weird-ass process of making regular coffee. Where was a normal coffee pot? "It's 6:30 in the morning. I'm very surprised to see you know what this time of the morning looks like." Emma blinked, trying to make her overly tired brain form words. Regina turned and motioned to the weird thing with what looked like… "Coffee?" the brunette offered.

"Mmm." Emma managed a sound to start, and then continued, "Coffee. Pancakes. No sleep." She winced as she told Regina that bit of information. Why had she told her that? It was just as well. Maybe now she could wander the house instead of being trapped in the spare room. And she wished she could wipe away Regina's amused grin. "Require sugary goodness in my veins. Provide. Waffles acceptable," she demanded, and then asked, "Henry?"

Regina responded predictably with an eyeroll. "I'm not Ruby Lucas," she stated, but Emma detected playfulness in her tone. "If you want something more than the omelette I'm about to make, you may make it yourself so long as you don't burn the house down or make a mess." She handed Emma coffee and handed it over. Emma took a drink like it was life-giving water from heaven, both hands on the cup, slurping it down greedily. "Henry is still asleep. He'll be up in about thirty minutes." Emma noted this and kept on sucking down the coffee.

It was quiet for a while, until Regina suddenly seemed to register Emma's words. "Why didn't you sleep? Is there something wrong with my guest bed?" The brunette looked up at her appraisingly. "And did you attempt to sleep _in _your clothes? Is this a thing with you, Miss Swan? You know, they do make clothes specifically for the purpose of sleeping?" Emma polished off the last of her first cup of coffee and slid it over for more.

"No," she replied calmly, brain happily processing the rush of caffeine, "there's nothing wrong with your guest bed, Regina. It's perfect, like everything else." Regina smirked at the compliment, and Emma wanted to keep complimenting her to keep the expression on her face. "And yes, I barely slept _in_ my clothes. I usually sleep either naked, or nearly. I mean, I've opened the door to you before in my 'pajamas'." She got an eyeroll and a shrug for that comment, but pressed on as Regina turned back to the stove. "Also, no one could ever mistake you for Ruby Lucas. You have different…" she paused briefly, eyeing Regina up and down blatantly from behind. "...assets." she finished.

Emma had to hold in her laughter as Regina fumbled the spatula, but she couldn't stop the wide smile that spread across her face. She enjoyed getting a rise out of the former mayor. She'd dwell on the reason _why_ she enjoyed it at a later time. Regina responded as if she didn't care at all about what Emma had said, but she'd already given herself away. "Since it's early, I think I'll let that last comment slide, Miss Swan. However, I won't let the pajamas comment slide. There is absolutely no way you sleep in the nude or nearly while staying in the same loft as your parents and Henry. I would expect that even you show more modesty than that in that situation."

Regina had given Emma another opening, but she chose to go at it a little softer this time. "You're always ruining all my fun," she said, crossing her arms and pouting dramatically. Regina raised her eyebrow and went back to tending the omelets. "Believe what you wish about my sleeping attire, I'll show you," Emma said in blatant invitation. "Just be careful should you decide to wander in in the middle of the night. You may see more than you bargained for." She almost hoped...but maybe not...but maybe. She looked away to focus on something else other than that thought.

"There is absolutely no reason, short of another angry mob at my door, that I would wander anywhere near you when you're in your 'sleeping attire'. If I didn't know any better, Miss Swan, I'd say you were trying to irritate me." Emma couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. She tried to rein it in but it spread widely all the same. "No matter," Regina continued, "Henry will be up soon. If you're planning to take him to school today, I suggest you get ready before he comes down for breakfast. If you wish for a fight to break out at school this morning, then do nothing. However, I will say that Ms. Blanchard was less than thrilled to see me yesterday when I picked Henry up from school." Emma looked down with a frown. She doubted that her mother would be thrilled to see her, either, after the words they'd exchanged yesterday. She mentally shook off the thought and went back to teasing Regina. That was more familiar.

"Oh, you know I would _never_ try to irritate you, Regina. It's nice to know you consider me your protector, though. Must be a thing with knights and queens." Emma gave her a roguish wink as she spoke.

Of course, Regina became angry and blew off the whole thing. "Never mind. I'll drop Henry off myself." Emma sighed internally and opened her mouth to apologize, but then Regina kept talking. "You know, I've never liked that title applied to you." Well, neither did Emma, that's why she avoided it, or made fun of it at all costs. "To be a knight, you must pledge your fealty to the king or queen." Emma didn't quite like where this was going. Wasn't it enough that she chose to stay? Her mind raced back into a panic, thinking of her things still bagged up upstairs, of how easy it would be to cut and run. "The only thing I've ever seen you pledge your fealty to is a bottle of beer, and that was before the curse was broken and during your all too short living arrangement in that death trap of a car." Emma twitched and counted to ten mentally. She couldn't leave, she reminded herself of that again. It wouldn't be fair to Henry. It wouldn't be fair to Regina.

"Oh, don't be mad. I'll drop him off," Emma said, trying to resolve the situation. She turned to go but then turned back, because she just couldn't leave it like that. "I'm not sure that you don't like it because I don't pledge fealty to _you_, or because you don't believe I can." She was kind of pissed about that. Wasn't she just saying last night that she chose to stay with the 'evil' queen? Didn't she just basically turn her back on the entire town? "I mean," she began again, "I suppose pissing off the whole town because I chose to be here with you instead of turning my back like everyone else isn't enough, right? I mean, I'm here for Henry because I love Henry. But I'm not _just_ here for Henry. I mean, yeah, I can't stand you sometimes." That wasn't entirely accurate. She pursed her lips and thought about it, and then corrected, "Most of the time." Nope, still not quite right. "Eighty percent of the time, Regina, but then there's that twenty percent or more of me…" _that likes you_. She wanted to finish. There were so many other statements that her brain was screaming at her to finish the statement with. She brushed it off. "You know, I think it's too early for this. I'm going to get Henry up."

With that she practically ran from the kitchen, from her feelings, and from everything that could be possibly be starting between them. She might not be able to leave the house, or the town, but she could certainly run from that moment.


	9. September 6, Lunch

_**Chapter 9**_  
_**September 6, Friday, Lunchtime**_  
_**Sheriff's Station**_

Emma Swan hated paperwork with a passion. She put it off to the last minute every time. She didn't care that, if she got it out of the way right away, it would be better in the long run, she wanted as much time without paperwork as possible before she had to bite the bullet and do it. So, since Fridays were her long days anyway, she always did paperwork on Friday. This particular Friday, however, she was finding it really difficult to stay focused and awake. She kept dozing in and out, thanks to her long night of not sleeping. Here at the Sheriff's station she could sleep. This was her place. Nothing could bother her here.

Emma jerked up as she heard an unfamiliar noise coming down the hallway toward her office. She'd know the sound of those heels anywhere. _Regina_. What had she done now? She quickly wiped at her chin for traces of drool and made herself look at least a little bit presentable in the thirty second warning she had before the former mayor swooped in on her with all the confidence and grace the woman possessed. She pretended to be working on the paperwork that was spread across her desk when the woman dropped a bag on top of its surface.

"Hello, Sheriff. I noticed you forgot the lunch I left out for you." Regina had actually left that for _her_? Emma was floored. Speechless. She looked up at the woman with unhidden shock in her eyes. "I set it next to Henry's, which I just dropped at school so he'd have it there in a few moments when his lunch period starts. Since I was going around dropping things off, I thought I'd drop yours off as well." Emma raised an eyebrow at her. It wasn't a very strong excuse, and sure enough Regina rolled her eyes at her suspicion.

"You...made me lunch?" she asked, not bothering to hide the awe in her tone. "What do you want?" There had to be an ulterior motive here, Emma was sure of it. Regina never did anything for her without needing something in return. Some sort of game was afoot.

Regina sighed and rolled her eyes yet _again_. She was actually pretty good at that, and Emma gave her a shrug in return. It wasn't like Regina had ever really been altruistic before. "It's chicken ceasar salad with a side of cocoa roasted almonds for dessert, and, to make up for the healthy choice in salad, I've brought you a soda from Granny's." A soda from Granny's meant an extra stop just for Emma. She didn't voice this opinion though, she just filed the information away for later. Regina set the drink down with a thud next to the bag.

Her eyes lit up at the offering. Usually she went without lunch, just drinking coffee through the day to make up for the lack of food. This was a real treat, and she knew Regina didn't understand the half of what she was doing for Emma. "You brought me a soda?! Who are you, and what have you done with the _real_ Regina?" she exclaimed, putting on a dramatic show for the favor. "I didn't think those bags on the counter were for us," she explained, and then looked away when Regina scowled at her. That scowl always made her feel six inches tall, though she'd never admit it. "I mean, thank you," she corrected.

"You're welcome," Regina offered with a smile, and Emma felt warm all over. "Next time, you'll know, and, for what it's worth…" the woman trailed off for a few seconds and Emma looked at her with a puzzled expression. She found her voice though, and words tumbled easily from her mouth, "I never liked _that_ title applied to you because a knight chooses to be a knight. You never chose. It seemed inappropriate." To say that Emma was shocked would be an understatement. She struggled to find a way to appropriately respond to that admission, to soothe over whatever it was that made Regina feel that she needed to...explain her own feelings. No words came.

Abruptly the former queen added, "I'll see you for dinner tonight. Please pick Henry up. Dinner is at 6:30. Please try not to be late." Well, shit. She certainly couldn't work late now. Emma had an intense need to not let Regina down tonight...and she didn't know where it sprung from.

As Regina turned, Emma responded, "I…" she couldn't bring herself to remind Regina that it was Friday. She settled for an "okay. We'll be there." The door was about to swing all the way closed, and she yelled defiantly, "And on time!" If she was going to have someone cover for her, she'd be damned if she showed up late for dinner.

With a broad smile, she picked up the phone, dialed the number for Granny's Diner, and asked for Ruby Lucas.


	10. September 6, Before Dinner

_**Chapter 10**_  
_**September 6, Friday, Before Dinner**_  
_**Mayor's House, Kitchen**_

With Ruby in charge of rounding up Leroy and Co. for the evening, Emma had plenty of time to pick up brownies from Granny's for dessert, pick up Henry, and make it to Regina's house. She settled Henry in the study with his homework and went into the kitchen. She grabbed a glass and tried to figure out the water dispensing system built into Regina's fridge. Ice shot all over the floor and she swore under her breath, not wanting to alert Henry to her embarrassing plight. Really, who couldn't figure out how to work an ice machine? She cleaned up the ice, mopped up the melted parts with a towel, and looked at it again.

In the end, Emma decided to skip the ice and just go for water. The water went smoothly into her glass without difficulty, and she vowed never to touch the ice part of that machine again. The last thing she needed was to make a mess in front of Regina, or worse, have the brunette laugh at her, or _worse_, teach her how to use it. She sat down on her stool with the water and stared darkly at the fridge. It was a machine designed for evil, she was sure of it.

By time she heard Regina walk in, she was lost in her thoughts. Fortunately for her, Regina was there to yank her out of them, her voice like a beacon in a storm. "Not just on time, but early, and I see you've already gotten Henry started on his homework for tonight. What set this sequence of responsible events into action, Sheriff?" Emma turned and noted the raised eyebrow and smirk on Regina's face. She couldn't help the broad smile that spread across her face as the woman turned toward getting dinner started.

"I had a good afternoon," Emma replied, pushing the brownies she'd picked up toward Regina. She felt a little guilty for not holding her end of the dinner deal the last few times. "Here, I picked up dessert. Sorry I forgot the last few times. Forgive me?" She didn't know why it was so important that Regina forgive her for it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she'd messed up her perfect kitchen earlier with the ice, as well. Maybe it was that Regina had done something nice without expecting anything in return earlier that day and Emma was entirely thrown off.

"Help cut up the vegetables for the salad, and all will be forgiven, Miss Swan," Regina replied, and Emma's heart soared. She didn't want to think about the fact that Regina had twice now touched on one of her biggest childhood issues with ease: the need to _do_ something to make up for the wrong that she'd done. She watched as Regina laid out the necessary things for the salad in front of her. She neglected to tell the other woman that she'd never cut up anything for a salad in her life. Emma...could wing it, right? She'd seen enough of those cooking shows on the Food Network. How hard could it be? "Tell me, what made this day so extraordinary compared to the others? The last time I saw you this chipper, someone had given you a bear claw and a fresh cup of coffee."

"Two salads in one day?" Emma whined dramatically, "Are you _trying_ to make me wither away to nothing? I need sugar! I need unhealthy things! I need...this turnover over here, hello…" Emma stalked over to the turnover like it was a dating conquest, until she looked back at Regina, who was giving her_ the look_. She jerked her hand back as if it was burned and said, "I take it all back." Turning back to the island, she picked up a knife, pointed it at the cucumber, and demanded, "Hand me that cucumber!" Regina might be able to shame her away from the sweets, but she couldn't take away her love for the dramatic. She began roughly slicing the cucumber while responding to Regina's real question. "My day was wonderful because I got in a nap," she explained, and then added quickly as Regina narrowed her eyes, "At lunch!" Of course, that was a _lie_ since the brunette was there at her lunchtime and knew she wasn't sleeping then. "It's amazing what a nap can do for the soul," she said in an innocent tone.

"I'll take your word for it," Regina responded in what seemed to be an extremely tired tone. Emma raised an eyebrow at her. She didn't know what it was about Regina that made her want to press the woman for the truth. She didn't know what it was that made her want to know her inside and out. That thought sent her mind down a dirty path, and for the first time she allowed the distraction to continue. It was Regina's voice that brought her back. "You know," she said warmly, "there's nothing wrong with that turnover. It's cherry, for the record, and, while we're on the subject of food, the salad is a _side_ salad. We're having pecan encrusted tilapia for dinner tonight. I assume you have nothing against that, do you?"

Emma internally winced at what she was just thinking about. That was _no_ way to think of her hostess. Mind distracted, she responded harshly without thinking, "Come off it, Regina. I was saying I wanted to eat the turnover. If you were going to kill me, I think you would have had plenty of opportunity in the past few days, especially with all the food I've eaten here." She regretted her tone immediately. That was no way to talk to Regina, either. She offered up, "I feel like I've eaten more here than I did the entire time I lived in Boston." Of course it was an exaggeration. She probably ate more here in the past week than she did in a _month_ in Boston, maybe. Three meals a day instead of one was a big change.

Regina scowled at her, and it made Emma shrink nervously and keep talking to make up for it. "I have nothing against fish," she tried, in hopes of making that awful look go away. "I'm allergic to peaches though." The brunette nodded at her and Emma added jokingly, "Please don't try to kill me with peaches." This was obviously _not_ the right thing to say because the woman narrowed her eyes at her and started to respond. "That's a joke. The killing me part," she said with a wince, shifting on her stool, "not the allergy part." She was making it all worse and her brain was screaming at her to just shut the damn hell up and she wasn't listening to her brain or the body language that Regina was sending. She tried to change the subject entirely. "Haven't you ever taken a nap?"

"I'm not a nap person," Regina answered in a tone that was calm and quiet. It made Emma shiver in a way that she wasn't prepared for. "There's too much to do during the day to sleep it away."

Regina sighed heavily and Emma felt extremely guilty for the path that this conversation had gone down. Why hadn't she stuck to the salad, or Henry, or something equally neutral? Something that wouldn't dredge up old wounds. The brunette's voice was tired as she explained, "I simply thought you'd like to know the type of turnover you were drooling over. Call me overly conscience of our situation, but I assumed apple was out of the question. But, if you don't mind, I _am_ fond of apples and would much prefer to bake with them."

Emma latched on to the opportunity to make things better. She couldn't give it away completely, so she instead offered up that Regina could make apple things for _her_ anytime. It would be up to the other woman to read between the lines. "Is there anything you can't cook?" she complimented with awe, "Also, you should probably ask Henry about the apples. He's probably going to be more hung up about it than me. I get over things quickly." No. No, no, no, this was not how the statement was supposed to go. She tried to stop the train of thought but found her mouth was still moving. "You have to, when you move on as much as...well, me." She didn't want to think about leaving. It made all of the panicky feelings rise like bile in her throat. She swallowed quickly, forcing herself to cut something for the salad, to focus on a small thing so she didn't have to think about running again.

"The last time I checked, Sheriff, it's been nearly three years since your last move, and, yess, there are a few things I have yet to master. However when you've had nearly thirty years of free time, you tend to master quite a bit. As you well know, I don't like to stay idle."

At the reminder of how long it had been since she moved, Emma looked wistfully out the window. Maybe it _was_ time she moved. She voiced her thoughts. "The last time I checked, I wasn't thinking about how long it's been since I moved last, because it tends to make me want to move." She shook her head lightly against the urge, smiled, and stated, "Now I'm going to have to find out all of the things you've mastered. Tap dancing? Guitar?" There it was. She'd given herself another reason to stay. At least for this day.

Regina smiled mysteriously at her and Emma breathed in relief. This was more familiar. "I suppose you'll have to stay around long enough to find out for yourself, because I certainly have no inclination to make a list for you." Emma held in the surprise that Regina could sense her need for a reason to stay. Maybe it was a lucky guess. Maybe she had no idea of the internal war that was going on inside Emma's head, except for the stray comment that the blonde had just made.

"While I'm working on dinner, I think you should check my answering machine." Answering machine? _Really_? Emma opened her mouth to comment on that, but Regina cut her off, "Don't look at me like that. Remember we landed here in the early 80s. At any rate, _do_ check it. The message on it from Ms. Blanchard is rather interesting."

Emma sighed, rolled her eyes, and asked exasperatedly, "How about you just tell me what she said and leave out all the bits where I'm horrible. That sounds like a better plan." She was tired of being yelled at, picked at, and disparaged by people who were supposed to be her parents and love her.

Regina rolled her eyes at her, and Emma thought that was unfair. Having met Cora, she guessed that parents who were less than stellar was something she and Regina might have in common. "Must I tell you? It was going to be my entertainment for the evening to watch you listen to it. But, if you insist, fine. The summary of the message is that she and Charming are very sorry for whatever it is they've been telling you, they want you to return home, bring Henry with you, and they'll stop suggesting that our previous arrangement for visitations with Henry is less than acceptable."

Emma was a little stunned by the sudden shift in attitude of her parents. She frowned and stared at the next cucumber that she was about to cut. What would it be like to go back to the small apartment with her parents? Would Henry be happier? They'd be leaving Regina alone again except for dinners. Something inside of her twisted at that notion. "For the record," Regina began harshly, "if you should decide to return to that box they call an apartment, please note that I will not be offering my guest room to you anytime in the near future."

Emma blinked at that, narrowing her eyes at the woman. Was she saying…? "Are you saying you want me to live here, Regina?" she asked, giving voice to the thoughts in her mind.

Regina shook her head, and Emma felt a pang of disappointment. Of course the brunette didn't want her to stay. They didn't have a friendship, they didn't even have a _thing_. It was just an arrangement. Emma wasn't even sure how long she could continue to choose to stay. "What I am _saying_ is that I need to finish dinner so that Henry doesn't end up eating at some ungodly hour," Regina emphasized, pushing carrots, another chopping board, and a knife towards her. "Now, are you going to help me, or are you going to go play on Henry's Playstation while you tell me you're going off to help him with his homework?"

Emma recognized the way out for what it was. The escape from the too serious conversation that they were having. The way to run from her emotions. Well maybe she was a little bit tired of running. She chided Regina as playfully as she could. "Oh, I see how it is. Shooing me off so you don't have to talk about it. I'm on to you, woman." Regina closed her eyes and Emma worried that she'd gone a bit too far. "Hand me that carrot. You can't get rid of me that easily. I'm chopping this carrot. Answer my question," she demanded. She wasn't going to relent this time. She wanted an answer. She wanted to be wanted.

"_Must_ you be so difficult?" Regina said in an exasperated tone.

That brought a smug smile to Emma's face and she stopped cutting carrots. "Yes," she responded, "I must always be difficult."

Regina huffed, "I don't know why I'm asking you that. Of course you must." Emma went back to chopping as Regina began to explain her thoughts. "Do you recall a few nights ago when you said that, most of the time, you don't completely hate my company?" Emma wanted to point out that it had been just that morning, not a few nights ago, but she held her tongue. The timing wasn't important. What mattered was that it had been said.

"Yes, I remember. Please, go on," she urged with a smirk, stopping with the carrots again to listen intently.

Judging by the look on Regina's face, it was like pulling teeth for her to say the words. "The feeling is mutual. I don't completely hate you, either. In fact, most of the time, unless you're trying to take my son away from me or you're blaming me for something I didn't actually do," the brunette managed to get out, and then glanced away before continuing, "I find your presence perfectly tolerable...if not even slightly welcome."Emma felt her heart jump about ten times. Regina wanted her around. She smiled as the woman added, "The house is large. It's become noticeable when you and Henry are not in it."

Emma wanted to jump up and down in excitement and declare that she was never leaving. She wanted to run to Henry and tell him the good news. But, she couldn't make it that easy. She couldn't just willingly hand over all of that power to Regina. "He's our son, Regina. Say that, and I'll stay," Emma paused and hastily corrected herself, "We'll stay." She pressed on before Regina could say anything about that. "But I also get to redecorate my room." She needed to have control over the space, to make it _hers_ so that she could sleep a little bit better. Every other night, maybe. "And I get to eat donuts for breakfast…" At Regina's look, she amended, "occasionally. And so does Henry. And you have to tell me about everything you've mastered. And we have to make up with my parents so the rest of the town won't come knocking on the door." She said the last bit all in a rush, to get it all out because she knew that the former Queen was going to hate any sort of demands from the likes of her. Sure enough, Emma could see it written all over her face.

Regina turned back to the dinner she was making and Emma internally sighed in relief. "You know, Miss Swan, I've never been one to take orders. I give them, and I don't particularly appreciate the overabundance of demands you've just made. However, I'd much rather have our son living in the home he's known all of his life than fight you at every turn. His happiness is paramount, after all." The little thrill that shot through Emma when Regina called Henry their son was quickly stifled when the woman said that _Henry's_ happiness was paramount. She wanted to know what Regina thought about her own happiness.

The former Mayor kept talking as she placed the fish into the oven. "So, if you'd like to redecorate my guest room to suit your tastes, fine." Emma raised an eyebrow at her as she talked as if she had won the day. "We'll go tomorrow to the hardware store and buy whatever paint you'd like. But the furniture stays. We'll buy different linens and curtains, but I'm not buying new furniture. And, since you've not been here on a weekend, let me assure you that Henry does, in fact, get doughnuts and sometimes even pancakes on the weekends." Emma couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face as Regina ranted.

Emma looked down at the carrots she was roughly chopping as Regina turned around to make eye contact with her. "As to what I've mastered?" Emma tried to fix the carrots so they at least looked like the ones she'd seen in salads before. She failed. "I would really rather not make a list. Wouldn't it prove more interesting for you to find out as time passes on? Come now, dear, you must let me be at least a little mysterious." Emma looked up just as Regina flashed a brilliant smile at her and she was captivated.

Emma rolled her eyes to try to pretend that she wasn't just floored by the woman's smile, but all that did was make Regina turn smug. She looked back down and picked up the lettuce, considering how best to mutilate it for the salad. Tear it? Shred it with the knife? She gave the lettuce a concerned look, as if _it_ could tell her how best it wanted to be presented in the salad. Regina pulled her out of her lettuce-maiming thoughts with her words. "I really don't know what to say about your parents." Well, Emma didn't know what to do about them, either. Slap them around, maybe. "I fail to see why I must help you make up with them," Regina continued, and Emma thought that was a valid point. She had added it in really only because she felt she didn't _have_ anyone else. Wasn't that kind of a joke? The savior of the realm only had the "evil" queen to turn to. "I would say that the fact I didn't burn Mary Margaret alive the last time I saw her is good enough. They're angry with you, not me. For some unknown yet rather welcomed reason, they've put the blame on someone _other than_ me for a change. Besides, what would you have me do? Just stand there and try not to look as irritated as I felt at being there?" Emma had to look away to hold in the smirk at the idea of Regina trying not to look irritated as her parents stood there.

"What about your happiness, Regina?" Emma asked after a beat. "I mean, I know apparently parents are _supposed_ to put their children's happiness before their own, and of course Henry's happiness is important, but what makes you happy?"

As expected, Regina completely blew off the question by bringing up Henry and dismissing herself with indifference. "My happiness is of no concern. It hasn't been in a very long time. However, Henry's happiness means much to me, and I'll do everything I can to see that he's as happy and as loved as he deserves to be."

Emma tilted her head at Regina but accepted her answer...for now. She asked instead, "And why would I ask you to buy things for my project? I mean, I know I'm not rich like someone who was the mayor for years, but I do actually work. If I wanted new furniture I could get it on my own. I mean, I don't. I just wanted to point that out. I don't expect you to...take care of me as if I were your partner." Emma had a surprising image in her head of what it would have been like if they _were_ partners. Of them raising Henry together. Of a brown-haired toddler swinging between...she looked away quickly, clearing her mind of the thought.

Regina snorted at her insultingly and replied, "I know how much you make as Sheriff. There was a time when I signed your checks, which means I know what kind of furniture you can afford." Emma bristled at this, her job paid pretty well and she didn't have many expenses. She had more of a savings than the _former Mayor_ might think. "_That_ I will not have in my home. If you want a new piece of furniture, we'll discuss it. This isn't about me taking care of _you_. It's about maintaining the integrity of the things that I allow in my home." Emma winced as her brain jumped to the conclusion that she didn't fit in with the things that Regina allowed in her home. Though she knew that already, it didn't help to be reminded.

She brushed it off and said, "I didn't mean for you to make a list. I meant over time. I find I want to know everything about you." She did mean _everything_. Why? Emma had no idea why she found Regina so fascinating. "As for my parents," she continued, "I get your point. I'll take care of it. But…" she hesitated, then continued, "maybe, if you see them around or if they happen to show up here, or call, or whatever, you could not antagonize them? And I'll tell them the same thing."

Regina scowled at her and Emma had to look back down at the lettuce she had decided to shred with her hands. She wondered if Regina was even paying attention to what she was doing to the salad. Probably not. "I haven't tried to antagonize your parents in days. I suppose I can keep the streak going so long as they do the same. I can be civil. I've had literally years of practice at maintaining a facade of civility in the face of people i loathe."

"And, for god's sake, call me Emma!" She didn't know what it was, but she hated the way Regina used Miss Swan against her. Like she was a child who needed reprimanded.

Regina didn't even bother responding to her outburst. She turned and once again her tone made Emma shiver a bit. "You want to know everything about me? Is that so? Careful, dear. That sort of thinking has landed many a person in very interesting situations." Now she was intrigued. What sort of interesting situations could Regina mean? Emma's brain certainly came up with a few. She looked away from Regina and gave her brain a dirty look. Childish, maybe, but it worked for her. "I tell you what," Regina continued with a challenge, "If you can figure out why it is that I won't call you by your first name without hassling me for the answer, I'll both call you by it _and_ I'll tell you of something interesting that I've mastered. Will that do?"

Emma, now free of all dirty thoughts of Regina, turned back to see her looking at her expectantly with an eyebrow raised, arms crossed, and narrowed eyes. She promptly lost her train of thought again and rambled off the first thing that came to mind: Regina's happiness. "Well, maybe it should be a concern. A little bit. Something to think about. Although, you'll probably just write that off and continue to only focus on Henry." Wait, that wasn't right. They'd moved on from that. She moved on to something else entirely. "I suppose we'll talk about grocery shopping money, bills, and all other expenses? I'm not a freeloader, despite what you may believe. I'll pull my own weight." Interesting situations. She was supposed to be talking about interesting situations. "And, I...really want to know what kind of interesting situations I might get myself into. I'm not afraid of a challenge. Is it because you're too proper, and that's far too informal for you?" Somewhere in there, she realized, her mouth had run away and shot off a reason why Regina wouldn't call her Emma.

She was obviously wrong on the reason, because Regina didn't even give it a moment's notice, and answered her in an annoyed tone. "I would expect nothing less than for you to help with the bills if you're going to be here. I suggest we split the utilities and any needs Henry might have and take turns buying groceries. I know you're not a freeloader, Miss Swan. Annoying, yes. An occasional thief? Yes. Freeloading, no. Your history alone proves that to be true." Emma tilted her head as Regina rolled her eyes at her. Somewhere in there a compliment was buried, she was sure of it.

"You want to know what kind of trouble you can get into by trying to know everything about me? Just this once, I'll throw you a bone, but only because I want to see your reaction." Regina smiled and Emma could almost see the former "evil" Queen lurking in her eyes. It sent a little thrill of something that felt both like fear and excitement through her. "Do you know that horrid Disney film that is supposedly about me and your mother? Well, the mirror in it, the one made of glass, was real. However, he wasn't always a mirror, and, when the curse was cast, he was lucky enough to stop being one again." Emma's eyes widened. Regina turned someone into a mirror? Was she about to become a piece of furniture in Regina's home? Was that what she was alluding to earlier when they were talking about maintaining the integrity of the home's decor?

Emma could almost feel the color draining from her face. "If he'd stopped for just a moment and done what I'd told him to do instead of demanding to know everything there was to know about me and wishing to always be with me, he might have managed to avoid being a magic mirror for over a decade. His loss. My gain." A wide smile spread across Regina's face and Emma felt goosebumps rise on her arms. "And no, I never asked who the fairest of them all was. That movie...do not get me started on _that_ movie." She waved her hand in dismissal much like a Queen would and Emma blinked. "Are you done with those carrots yet?"

Okay, well at least she had an answer to the question of whether or not Regina was watching her make the salad. She looked down at the mangled lettuce in her hand, and then back up at Regina, blinking slowly. "Did you turn him into a mirror, or…?" This was an important point for her. She needed to know if she was about to become a piece of the decor. "I mean, they never really said that in the movie. He's just kind of a yes-man for the evil queen character. Until he decides to side with…"

"No, _I_ didn't do a thing. He did that to himself. It was misfortunate for him, and a fortunate circumstance for me. I believe you would call that particular event in my history a win, if I understand your slang correctly." Emma supposed if he did it to himself, then it was his own fault. Regina could hardly be blamed if the man made himself into a mirror. And...since Emma was in no danger of turning _herself_ into a piece of furniture, she relaxed.

"I would call that a win." Emma tilted her head and said thoughtfully, "You know, now that I think about it, it must be full of inaccuracies, just like Henry's book. What do I have to do to get you to tell me the real stories? Paint the house? Clean the gutters?" Regina raised her perfect eyebrow at her again and shook her head. "Oh, right. The carrots. They're done."

Regina sighed and took the carrots. She didn't look at the carrots and Emma considered that a blessing because the salad looked terrible. "I really can't imagine that you'd want to know my side of things, but you do keep bringing it up." The brunette seemed to think about it for a second. "Hmm. Perhaps you do. Either way, it's not something I'm ready to talk about with the daughter of Snow White. I'm sure you understand." Oh, Emma understood. She understood that Regina had left it open. She understood that Regina had said that she wasn't ready, with a bit of an understanding that she _might_ be ready someday. Emma filed that knowledge away and prepared to wait that out. Regina turned and bent over to retrieve the fish and of course Emma stared. "Go get Henry," the other woman commanded, and Emma blinked, looking away from her posterior. "Dinner is almost ready and I believe he expects you to play some sort of video game on the Wii with him after dinner tonight. Mario Kart?"

Emma wasn't ready to be shooed away, but she let it happen with some parting words. "I do understand. But you might consider that I wasn't raised by Snow White." She didn't feel like _anyone's_ daughter, and the idea that someone could just...claim her made her balk. "Maybe someday? I can be very patient...sometimes. Occasionally. I'll...try not to bring it up again." Regina didn't even turn around, and Emma sighed, offering something else instead. "I'll get Henry. You should join us for Mario Kart, though. Video games are for fam...everyone." She mentally kicked herself for almost saying the word _family_. Was she stupid? Regina would have thrown her out on her ass. She didn't even consider them friends.

It did get the woman to turn around with a small smile though and respond, "I'll consider it." Emma cheered internally on her way to get Henry. Small steps. Tiny. Infinitesimally microscopic.


	11. September 7: The Kitchen

**Happy Friday, everyone! Hope you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them!**

_**Chapter 11**_  
_**September 7, Saturday Morning**_  
_**Mayor's House, Kitchen**_

Emma actually slept. She was surprised, usually it took at least another day before exhaustion caused her to pass out in a new place. So, when she woke up with daylight streaming through the windows and not sometime in the middle of the night, she was thrown off completely. It made her feel so good that she decided to call her parents early instead of putting it off as long as possible. The conversation was brief. Emma told them that she wasn't coming back, but that she would see them. She tried to explain it away as Regina having the room for her and Henry and wanting to give them space and many other excuses, but Emma could tell that things would still be strained. She made a note to go and visit them later as she hung up.

Regina greeted her with a grin, and Emma thought she could get used to that, if only the woman would call her Emma. "Good morning, Miss Swan. Did you sleep well? Waffle?"

"Better, thank...ooo waffle." Distracted by the delicious breakfast that was laid out in front of her, she barely managed to remember to politely ask, "How did you sleep?" as she began piling strawberries and whipped cream on her waffle.

"As well as I usually do," the brunette shrugged. "So, today is the day we go to the hardware store for supplies. Do you have an idea of what you'd like to do in the room? Also, have you spoken to your parents yet?"

Emma wanted to tell Regina that those were too many questions for her while she was eating her waffle. How was she supposed to eat and talk at the same time and be polite about it? She frowned down at the food, pondering how to work this out. "Yeah," she began, "I was thinking maybe painting the room a pale blue and then decorating in light gray." She wouldn't tell Regina that those were the colors she _always_ chose. She lied through her teeth about her parents. "I did speak to my parents. They're...adjusting, but I think things will be okay. Besides, they understand that you have the room for both of us and they don't." Regina turned and _looked_ at her as if she could see right through her lies and it made her unsettled. She quickly stuck more waffle in her mouth and chewed.

Regina slowly turned around and Emma breathed in relief. "Well, that's something, I suppose. Henry is still in his room. He ate breakfast, said something about needing to check something in his book, and then left. I'm not sure I really want to know, so I've decided to leave it alone." Emma felt an uneasiness sink into her stomach at this news. It seemed like every time Henry needed to "check something" in his book it was something new she had to do in order to keep saving the town.

Regina seemed to share her feelings, because her face wrinkled in distaste as she slid onto the stool across from Emma. "I've had enough of that book to last me the rest of this lifetime." Emma noticed that she wouldn't meet her eyes, instead keeping them firmly on her food and wondered why that was. Maybe she was reading too much into it, and Regina just liked to pay attention while she ate. She couldn't shake the feeling that it was important, though. She was probably overreacting. The brunette's voice pulled her out of the thought with, "Whenever you two are ready, we can go. Perhaps after we buy supplies for your room, we can do a little grocery shopping?" Regina smiled and Emma's breath hitched. The woman really was beautiful, and she was allowing the thoughts to surface more and more.

"As long as we can pick up beer," she began, eyes lingering on Regina's smile, "This house is woefully understocked on beer." She did have needs after all, and one of those was a need to have a beer as soon as she got...home. And if this was going to be her...home, then she was going to need that small thing. "I...don't know what to say about Henry and his book," she offered up as a way to distract from her own thoughts, "I'm afraid to ask if it has something to do with me and some destiny I can't choose. Is it wrong that I want to take it away so we can just...have life play out now as it should?" She was tired of having to do the 'saving people thing'. Or being called the White Knight. She felt more like a White Pawn.

"If it were up to me, I'd burn it, so I'd say, no, it's not wrong of you at all." Hmm. Now there was an idea...Emma could sneak into Henry's room in the middle of the night and snag the book, and take it out in the woods and burn it while claiming to be on 'patrol'. She could even write it up as paperwork...'protecting the town from a dangerous object' She'd think more on that later.

"Maybe we could have a...discussion with him about it?" she offered up with a nod, instead. She couldn't let Regina in on her plan, after all. She didn't trust the woman not to use it against her to get to Henry. "Now that everything is out in the open. Well. Not everything. But...more out in the open." Reasonable solutions. That's what children needed, right?

"I think that may actually be a good idea," Regina began, and it made Emma smile. It was very rare for Regina to compliment anything that she said. She continued, "and Henry will listen to you. Goodness knows he won't hear a thing I have to say about that book. You know, yours was not the only fate set in stone. Many of us would rather not continue to see our sordid pasts brought up in full color illustrations with gilding along the borders." The thought of her own past showing up in the book someday made Emma wince. Henry would then know she lied to him about his father. And he'd know things about her that he really didn't need..._no one_ needed to know.

"Well we'll talk to him then, and hope that he'll agree to maybe just see what happens for a while. Maybe if we set a time limit on it he'll be more open to the idea?" Regina simply nodded in response and Emma figured that meant the discussion was over.

"Yes, and we may pick up some beer," the brunette said, and Emma knew a change of subject when she saw one. "I'm rather fond of Guinness and Sam Adams, but under no circumstance will I allow Pabst Blue Ribbon or Coors in my fridge. That's not beer. It's a disgrace."

Emma made a face at the mention of gross beer. It made her almost want to gag just thinking about drinking them. "Who the hell drinks PBR? I may throw up just thinking about it. We can get a whole host of dark beers." A whole delicious stockpile for her to come, well, home to.

Regina looked at her with approval and it made all of Emma's senses tingle. She wanted to look away, but she also wanted to memorize that look. She settled for the second option. "When would you like to leave? If we wait for a bit, we can have lunch and then run our errands. If you help me clean up from breakfast, you may attempt to beat me at Mario Kart afterward."

"Lunch and then errands. And please. Mario Kart last night was just beginner's luck," she said in a challenging tone. "Today I'm gonna smoke you." She gave her best cocky smile and picked up her plate, bringing it to the sink. "Winner takes the other out for dinner," she added in a rush. Did she just...challenge Regina Mills to Mario Kart for a date? She took a deep breath, turned her back to Regina and closed her eyes. She could do this. She'd been playing Mario Kart for _ages_.

"You're going to 'smoke' me?" the brunette responded, and her tone made Emma shiver in a way that she was fast becoming comfortable with. "Alright, deal. I hope you can afford someplace nicer than Granny's." Oh, Regina wouldn't know what hit her if Emma lost, but that wasn't happening. She'd make sure of it.

"If I win," she declared, turning around with a determined look, "you better take me to the best damn restaurant in town, I know your budget." She smiled, came back to the island for her coffee mug and said, "Let's do this."


	12. September 7: Sherwood Steakhouse

_**Chapter 12**_  
_**September 7, Saturday Evening**_  
_**The Sherwood Steakhouse**_

Emma was standing, naked, in front of the mirror in the guest bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror and desperately asking herself how she had managed to get to this moment. Here she was, about to go on a...dinner. It was just dinner. She had to stop thinking about it as a date with Regina. It was just dinner, just them going out as if they were...family, right? She leaned forward, a hand on either side of the sink, and took deep breaths. Everything was going to be fine. She was going to count to ten, she was going to put on her best 'devil-may-care' attitude, and then she was going to dress her best for Regina. One...two...three…

At ten, Emma picked her head up, squared her shoulders, and nodded at her reflection. She could do this. She could go on a...date with the former Mayor. She picked up the fancy hair dryer and began getting ready. One good thing about living with a former Queen; she didn't have to resort to ridiculous tricks to getting her hair to behave anymore. She smiled at herself in the mirror and set to work.

Emma had taken to teasing Regina about her win since that morning, openly flirting with the brunette. She couldn't help herself, really. Emma wasn't really the type to sit around and go back and forth over what she did or didn't want. She'd made the choice to stay for Regina. She knew that for some god-only-knows reason her heart jumped every time the woman was around. She wasn't stupid, Emma knew she was attracted to Regina. Sure, there _were_ other considerations like the town, Henry, what everyone would do when they found out that the savior was...well that she liked the woman. Emma felt it was a risk worth taking. She was going to make the choice to walk down this path until Regina slammed a door in her face.

She thought about her decision all the way until they reached the finest restaurant in Storybrooke, The Sherwood Steakhouse. There was even a valet to take Regina's Mercedes, and by the way Regina slapped her keys into the kid's hand, she could tell the former Mayor was agitated by either her flirtations, their banter, or just the fact that she had to take Emma out. Either way, she knew she was walking on dangerous ice.

Heads turned as they walked toward the back of the restaurant, and Emma smiled. Since this was the first time she'd worn a dress in the town, she wasn't surprised that people were staring at her, _especially_ since she was trailing one step behind Regina Mills, who also looked amazing. Thankfully, they had a table in the back. Emma liked to put on a show, but she was really looking forward to having a little bit more privacy as they talked over dinner. Besides, they could think what they wanted. Walking behind Regina had its advantages, like being able to observe the way her hips swayed back and forth, and how fantastic her clothes made her ass appear.

She realized she was staring when Regina's voice startled her. "Remember, Miss Swan, this is a restaurant, a place with quality food, proper service, and the expectation that you can properly gauge the difference between the salad fork, prawn fork, dinner fork, and dessert fork." Emma settled across from and gave her best 'I wasn't just staring at your ass' smile. "I cannot believe you bested me three times in a row," Regina said, picking up a menu to...hold it directly in front of her face? Emma looked down at her own menu to hide her widened smile at the idea that Regina would hide behind a menu when out with her. "Do you know what you want, or would you like for me to recommend something to you?" Regina asked, and Emma briefly frowned at the annoyed tone.

She wouldn't let it deter her from being playful though. "You mean, I probably shouldn't prop my feet on the table and belch mid-bite?" she teased, which caused Regina to lower the menu to smirk at her. Was that a _blush_ she detected on the brunette's face? "I'll keep that in mind. You know, I do know how to dine properly. I've been to many fine restaurants," she offered up, mind blown by the fact that Regina was blushing at her. At her! She wondered what on earth she had done to provoke that reaction from the woman. And how she could do it again and again, because _damn_ it made her look gorgeous. "Sorry your beginner's luck wore off. But hey. As a consolation prize, I'll let you order for me! But make sure it comes with something I can eat with a 'dessert' fork." Okay, she couldn't read the menu. This was the coast of Maine, why was everything in a foreign language? She doubted anyone else could read it...well, Regina probably could. Damn her and her...self.

"At least you dressed properly for the occasion. I'm surprised you even own a dress." Emma frowned, but released it quickly as Regina's eyes ran over her. She looked down quickly at the menu again so that she didn't blush like a teenager with a crush, and then looked back up at Regina with her most flirtatious smile. If Regina wanted to check Emma out, she was certainly going to pay the price for it.

"I own a couple dresses," Emma retorted, and waved her hand to draw Regina's attention to what she was wearing once more. "This is the hot black dress. I also have a hotter green dress." She folded her menu and set it down, watching as Regina blushed once more. It made Emma feel as though she were floating. "I could order my own," she began, backing off a bit to allow the woman to compose herself, "but I know you like it when you get to wave superiority over me." And, since Emma liked all aspects of Regina's personality, she wanted to see as many as she could over the course of the evening.

"Hot and hotter? I really don't know where to start on how much less I could care as to how 'hot' you dressed for this affair." Emma had to bite her lip to stop from laughing at this. Regina predictably rolled her eyes, and continued, "I suppose I can't expect you to order your own. That would make this little 'not win' of mine too easy." Emma was almost positive she was going to bite through her lip in her effort to not laugh. She couldn't upset the former mayor by Laughing at Her in Public. That would be an extreme no-no. "Very well," Regina went on in what Emma would refer to from now on as her Mayoral Tone, "I suggest we start with the sesame crusted Ahi tuna. I personally prefer the filet mignon, but you may prefer the New York strip. That much I'll leave up to you. The entrees come with a salad. The Ceasar here is very good." Emma folded her hands in her lap and fidgeted as she stared at Regina's lips. "If it is alright with you, I think I'll order a few additional sides for us as well. The portabella mushrooms and the prawns are actually very nice."

Regina leaned back and gave her a politician's smile and part of Emma wanted to reach across the table and shake her until she never ever smiled at her like that again. Not that she would. Emma knew enough about Regina's history to know that she'd never lay a hand on her like that again. "For dessert, they have a pecan pie served with a bourbon sauce and a la mode that I would suggest we share. It's large enough. The ice cream is unique. They make it here, and I believe it's some sort of cinnamon vanilla combination." The brunette raised an eyebrow at her and said, "How does that sound?" She wondered if Regina was daring her to disagree.

Emma tilted her head, narrowed her eyes, and decided to address the point most annoying her at the moment. "Are you saying you don't think I look hot, Regina? And here I went through all this trouble to look appropriate for your fancy restaurant and you don't even care. Next time I'll make sure to dress sloppy since there's no point otherwise." Her brain was screaming at her that she didn't dress up for the restaurant, she dressed up for Regina. For _Regina_! Regina, who didn't even give a damn about what she was wearing, except to casually look her up and down once or twice. Emma's heart sank. Maybe she was wasting her time with this.

"Don't misinterpret what I'm saying, Sheriff. I said I don't care how 'hot' you look. That doesn't mean I don't care how well put together you appear when you're seen in public with me. It's actually a bit comforting to know that you can, in fact, clean up well and tame that hair of yours." Emma frowned at this. Sure, she didn't wear anything close to Regina's style of dress, but she didn't look _awful_ either. And her hair was usually neat. Or at least combed. "Seeing your hair well styled into the princess curls, as the town calls them is a nice change of pace from your regular style, but appreciating your style for the evening is not the same thing as thinking about your 'hotness level'," she finished in an annoyed tone. Emma sighed softly and looked down at the table. She might as well have come out in jeans, her tank top, and her red jacket. At least then she would have been comfortable. "Honestly…" Regina added, waving at the menus, "May we please order?"

Emma looked up and huffed, "Fine. I'll take the filet mignon just for a change. The last time I was in an extremely nice restaurant, I was chasing a mark as a bail bondsman. That seems like forever ago." She tried to shrug naturally, but it felt awkward. Why had she added that part to the conversation? She didn't want to tell Regina about how that night was almost one of the lowest points of her life. She tried to go back to the food order. "I'd love to have more sides. More options to try. How many times have you been here? Other dates?" She winced at the fishing tone in her voice, especially when Regina looked away from her and snorted. Emma decided to go back to food again, though her tone was more hesitant. "I'd love to share dessert with you. Cinnamon and vanilla sounds like a dream. You should know already that I love it, I mean, I have the combination all the time on my cocoa." It reminded her of one of her previous families. One of the good ones. Not that she'd ever tell Regina that. Or anyone. Speaking of things that she drank, Emma added, "Everything sounds good, but you forgot the wine."

"Wait a moment," Regina said, and Emma braced herself for whatever the woman was going to yell at her about. "You were chasing a mark as a bail bondsman? I had completely forgotten that was your job before you arrived in town." Well, Emma didn't expect Regina to care enough to remember things about her. She relaxed a bit when she realized she wasn't about to get lectured about something. "You're right; that does feel like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?" It felt like ten lifetimes, if Emma were honest. "I wonder what kind of stories you have from that job? Surely it has to be more interesting than locking Leroy up every Saturday night?" It was Friday night, but Emma wasn't going to correct her; it wasn't worth the argument.

"Yeah, I was chasing someone," she replied with a small smile. Knocking that guy out had been a real pleasure. She shook off the thought and continued, "It was the night Henry showed up at my apartment. Then I brought him back." Regina frowned and Emma didn't want to continue describing what she did anymore. It wasn't worth putting a frown on the brunette's face. "And, well, you know everything about my life since then. And...most of my stories are the same. Chase the person, catch the person, bring them back after they skipped bail."

Regina laughed and Emma was surprised. What had she said that was so funny? She mentally went back over everything she'd just said. There was nothing funny there. She decided to let it go when Regina waved her hand in the air and said, "We digress from our dinner order. I didn't forget the wine. I normally don't drink in public. It's an old habit from before the...from _before_." Emma frowned slightly at the grimace that appeared on Regina's face. She wondered what kind of demon the woman was wrestling there. "However, if you'd like to drink wine, there are plenty of lovely reds to choose from here. Whatever you'd like, Miss Swan. You won the battle, and to the winner go the spoils."

Emma suddenly didn't feel so great about winning. She wished that she'd left the stupid bet off their game. She should have waited, and grew some balls and asked Regina out on a date, and taken her out like she should be treated. Not like...this. Now she felt more like she was pretending, one step away from a house falling on her head and ruining everything. She shrugged and softly said, "If you don't want to drink in public, then I'll take water. I don't need to have alcohol with dinner."

Regina just nodded at her, and then continued talking about her life before. "Well, your days sound rather repetitive when you put it that way. Believe it or not, I can sympathize with that. Mine were similarly repetitive before Henry." Emma wasn't sure exactly how the curse worked, but considering that she knew the town hadn't aged a day when they were all stuck, she figured it was a frozen-in-time deal. "Well, no matter now," Regina said, brushing the past aside, "I think it's safe to say that both of our lives are much more...interesting now days."

Emma thought about it for a moment. Her life was extremely different. Instead of sitting alone every night, being constantly on the move, and...other things she didn't want to think about, she had a family, friends...a brand new life. "That is true," she began in a slightly awed tone. "I mean, I'd never have guessed before that I'd be living with a fairytale Queen and I'd be considered a knight of some kind by an entire town and that a ten year old boy would call me a savior. And yet...here I am. And strangely, I wouldn't change any of it." It wasn't strange at all, but she didn't want to give that away to Regina. She didn't want the woman to know how desperately she clung to this life rather than her old, lonely one.

"Speaking of the town," Regina said, rousing her from her depressing thoughts, "it was rather nice of Miss Lucas to come to the house to watch Henry while we are out. How did you manage that? Most people in this town won't come within 20 paces of my front door."

Emma turned bright red, and had to force herself to keep looking up at Regina rather than stare at the table. "...I might owe Ruby some things in exchange for babysitting. It's nothing you would really care to hear about." Emma wasn't even sure what Ruby had in mind, only that it would be extremely unflattering and humiliating. "Let's say that it'll humiliate me and leave it at that, alright?" Emma hoped that Regina would just let the details go. "And actually," she pressed on, so Regina couldn't ask for details before she composed herself, "she's available once a week. If you want to make this a thing together. Or separately. Or whatever." Emma rushed through the last part and, unable to help herself, looked down at the table. She was sure Regina was going to say no, laugh in her face, and leave her there to walk home in the ridiculous heels she was wearing.

"I'm not sure I want to know what you've agreed to in order to make that arrangement happen. But, if it humiliates you, maybe I do?" Emma could feel herself blushing even more, and she couldn't lift her head up to meet Regina's eyes. "Either way," the brunette continued, "I don't know that I like the idea of leaving Henry once a week to do something without him. Perhaps, if he understood that it wasn't because we didn't want to be with him, but then again, why would I want to be with…" Emma tried not to look hurt. She knew that there was a strong possibility of rejection when she made the deal. She'd told Ruby that it might not pan out, even. It would be okay. At least Regina hadn't laughed in her face and run out. Emma would just...try something else, maybe. "You know, thinking on it, let's just play it by ear, shall we?" Wait...that wasn't a rejection.

Before Emma could respond, Regina was smiling and nodding toward their waiter with their food. "Oh, I see our food is arriving." Well, if that wasn't a brush off of the topic, she didn't know what was. She sighed softly and waited for plates to be put in front of her.


	13. September 7: Driving Home

**_Chapter 13_**  
**_September 7, Saturday Night_**  
**_Driving Home_**

Regina slammed the car door, hit the gas, and it was all Emma could do to get in the door and get her seatbelt on. She was a little worried for her life as the brunette floored it, taking them up to ludicrous speed. "I don't care _what_ you say, Miss Swan. You should have at least let me singe his tacky waiter's uniform." Emma was a little stunned. She held on to the door of the car and waited out Regina's rant, hoping she'd make it home alive. "I cannot believe the gall, the absolute _audacity_ of the people in this town. Have they completely forgotten with whom they're dealing? I am their _queen_. I'm not the butt of their jokes, and I'm _certainly_ _not_ some celebrity gossip column waiting to happen." Emma shrank back into her seat, hoping that the flashes of purple in Regina's eyes didn't mean she was about to explode.

"How _dare_ he snap a picture of us while we were attempting to eat and then threaten to send it to the tabloid of this town. Just who does he think he is? Who does he think he's dealing with? I'm not Miley Cyrus, and you're most certainly not Britney Spears." That was a very valid point, but Emma didn't understand how a picture of them looking like they were on a date was a joke. It wasn't like he was threatening to say that one of them proposed at the table. That would be more of a problem. The picture could easily be explained away as dinner to talk about Henry, if it was really that big of a problem.

"And to think he _actually_ thought that threatening to tell the tabloid that we were on a date would be the best way of extorting money out of me? Really? Honestly, why didn't you just let me turn him into the toad he clearly is?" Okay, the idea of the waiter hopping around as a toad was kind of funny. She smirked at this, and watched the stoplight turn red in front of them. For a moment, she was terrified that Regina was going to blow right through it. She could see oncoming lights on her side. Her life began to flash...but then the car began to slow down, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "And WHY are you smirking? This isn't funny, _Miss Swan_," Regina yelled, turning to her as she stopped.

"First I lose to you. Then I'm forced to pay for your dinner, _and now_ this? Could this evening get any worse?" Emma winced, as Regina turned and sped off again, flattening her to the seat. She didn't think the night went that bad, right until the end. And they had shared most of the food, of which Emma hadn't even eaten a lot of.

Emma inhaled slowly, trying to be calm and reasonable in the face of an irate powerful woman who could turn her into toast at her whim. "You can't do magic, Regina. What would Henry say if I let you turn someone into a toad?" She felt a little guilty using Henry's name as a calming agent, but hey, she didn't know the woman well enough to know what else to say. She only got a grunt in response. "I'm sure not everyone back in fairytale land was respectful to your image, either." She braced herself, waiting for a fireball to singe her princess curls right off.

When no fireball appeared, she tentatively asked, "But really, is the idea of us being on a date that awful to you?" Regina whipped her head around and Emma winced, thinking that this was the last moment of her life and she was about to meet fiery death. The car swerved though, and Regina had to turn back to correct her driving. "Because...that's kind of...what it looked like," Emma continued, when she was sure she wasn't about to get blown up, "We were at dinner. You ordered for me. I dressed up for you, not that you cared. You paid for my food. I mean, Christ, Regina, all that's missing is the awkward shuffle at the front door and the goodnight kiss." Emma looked down at her hands, one tightly glued to the handle on the armrest, and the other attached to the seat belt. They were both white from tension.

"If it was that abhorrent to you," she said, her face falling as she realized she'd made a mistake. That this was a terrible idea. That Regina no more wanted to date her than even be in the same room with her, except for when Henry was around. She reached too far. "we'll never do it again." She said firmly and a little sadly. "I don't have to do this. I don't have to...try to be a family." She could just hang out until Henry was old enough to be on his own. That was only...six more years? Seven? Less, if he did what she had done. Then she could split.

Emma stared out the window as they pulled into the driveway. Regina shut the car off and turned to look at her. Seven years was way too long for simply toleration of someone. She wouldn't be able to stand it. "Or," she said angrily, cutting whatever Regina was going to say off, "you can stop focusing on yourself for two goddamn minutes and realize that what others think doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is what Henry thinks. And what you think. And possibly what I think, maybe." She paused in her tirade, and considered that maybe Regina really didn't know how to not worry about the town's opinions of her. "But I get it," she added in a much softer tone, "You can't _just_ do that. I don't know how to tell you to let it go. I don't."

Emma shrank internally when Regina reached out to her. Was she going to hit her again? Throw her out? She didn't want to be _afraid_ of Regina, but having seen how worked up she just was, having dealt with that kind of volatile anger from people her whole life, she knew they could be so unpredictable. She prepared herself for anything. When Regina dropped her hand back to her lap, Emma couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped her, nor the shame that she felt that she would even have those thoughts. "You know, I'm not angry at you," Regina began, in a much softer tone than she had been using on the highway. "This isn't about my image. My image disintegrated the moment you broke the curse."

Emma did _not_ feel guilty in the slightest for breaking the curse. She did wish that somehow she could understand why Regina had felt the curse was needed in the first place. What had happened to this woman to make her do such a desperate thing? That was what she most wanted to know. "The only thing I am to the people in this town is the Evil Queen, and, if that's all I'll ever be to _them_, then I think I can live with that. After all, there's no denying that I earned my title." Emma wasn't about to deny that Regina had done some really terrible things.

"However," the woman continued, "I refuse to become a joke, a laughingstock. That's one step from pity, and I'll not have it." Again, Emma didn't understand what the joke was here. What were they laughing at? Exactly what was funny or laughable about the Queen being out on a date with her? "It's simply not acceptable. I'll take their fear. I'll take their loathing. I'll take their hate. I _will not_ take their pity. _That_ is beneath me. I may never have their respect, but I refuse to be their joke." What the hell? How was being on a _date_ pitiable? Emma could only assume that it was her. That _she_ was somehow beneath Regina. She closed her eyes against the feeling. "Can I have at least that much of my dignity left?"

Emma wanted to just scream yes at her, get out of the car, run inside, and never come out of her room. Instead, she turned to face Regina and folded her arms over her chest. She left the seat belt on for...support. "I know you aren't angry at _me_," she began, trying to keep the hurt out of her voice. "Explain to me, though, how the idea of me and you being on a date makes _you_ a joke or a laughingstock? Is it because they aren't afraid of you enough to not take the picture? Because otherwise, it sounds like it is the idea of you being on a date with me that is the joke."

Regina looked down at her hands in her lap and said quietly, "I don't have an issue with anyone thinking I'm dating you." Well, she sure as hell could have fooled Emma. "I have no problems with us behaving like civilized people who are trying to create the best household possible for our son because that is exactly what we are doing and should be doing. He needs a stable home, a stable family. He needs to know that where he lives is a safe place, and, frankly," she finished, looking up and meeting Emma's eyes, "so do I." Emma looked away quickly, unable to deal with the prolonged contact at the moment. She was surprised that Regina had given her so much information, but it still didn't explain...anything.

"However, you should be the one worried for your reputation. It's your reputation, not mine, that would suffer. People would assume the worse of me, that I'd cursed you or put a spell on you to make you mine." Emma couldn't stop the little flutter that went through her at Regina's last word, even if it was completely out of the question. She listened intently, trying to see exactly what Regina was trying to tell her. And also exactly what Regina wasn't trying to tell her, but was definitely telling her anyway. "But, if they found that wasn't the case, then their opinion of you would be sorely lowered. After all, how can the White Knight date the Evil Queen? That doesn't happen." Regina smiled sadly at her and Emma had to repress all of her urges to reach out and touch, hug, or someway comfort the brunette. "Does that make you my Black Knight?"

She wanted to say yes, but Emma knew that answer wouldn't be acceptable. After a long moment of silence, she said determinedly, "If my reputation suffers, it's the fake reputation that they created for me." She spoke quietly and firmly, as if what she were saying was the most important thing she'd ever said in her life. "I never claimed to be a paragon of good. I never claimed to be a white knight. Maybe instead my reputation will bring up yours." It wasn't a saving people thing, she swore to herself. It was simply a desire to give Regina a better life. An easier life. To...make her happy.

Regina gave a small chuckle that sounded so fake Emma couldn't ignore it fast enough. "It's all ridiculous, isn't it? We're nowhere near the Enchanted Forest, and, yet, it's still here. We'll never be rid of it, and, since it's never going to go away, I refuse to let it's politics take away what little dignity I have left." Emma watched as Regina lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. It made her look proud, determined, and regal, but Emma could see past the lie. "Does that make sense? Do you understand?"

Emma rolled her eyes at the image that Regina was trying to present to her, and the question. "I wish I could get it through your stubborn ass skull that I'm not _just_ here for Henry. Why do you care about what they think? I mean, you've done a lot to them, from what I understand. But I bet they've done a lot to you, too." She knew there were at least three sides to every story. She wanted to know all of the sides of the past, too.

"Our history is…" Regina trailed off, and Emma simply waited until she decided to continue. She could be very patient. "complicated." There was so much emotion in that word that Emma didn't even know how to touch it. "Wrongs have been done on both sides.

"I don't...you're not...It's so very rare that I'm at a loss for words and will admit to it that I think you may want to mark this event in your calendar, Miss Swan." Well, Emma might not write it down, but she certainly would never forget a moment of this night. She tilted her head at the former mayor and waited. Finally, she said, "Let me try again."

"I don't date," Regina explained, shaking her head lightly. "Dating indicates the possibility of a relationship. The possibility of a relationship indicates the idea of trust between two people. Trust between two people means that love, or the possibility of it, must be there between them, and, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not very good at loving people." Emma was a little taken aback by this. This was certainly not what she was expecting to get an explanation on. Regina didn't think she could love someone? Emma thought that was bullshit, she knew the woman loved Henry. If she could love Henry, then she could love..._someone_.

"I haven't been in a very long time, longer than you've been alive…" Regina trailed off as if thinking about someone in the past, and Emma wanted to reach out again. She wanted to...hold her hand, or something. Give her something solid to hold on to. She had to resist. "It's been so long that I can't really recall what that's like. The kind of love that leads to dating isn't something that I… my history…" Again Regina trailed off and Emma tightened her arms over her chest. If she couldn't hug Regina, she could at least hug herself.

"Oh, I've noticed," she began after Regina was silent for a while. "You can't even call me by my first name, as if calling me anything but Emma would keep me at a distance. Has it worked?" Emma was surprised when Regina looked at her suddenly. It made her a little nervous, she still wasn't quite sure that the woman wouldn't blast her at any moment. She felt like she still could be volatile. "Do you know my favorite thing about history?" she said quickly, "It's all in the past, Regina. And even though I want to know all of that stuff about you...to be able to understand you a bit better, to be able to know a little bit more about how you think, and what makes you react to things the way you do, I'm a lot more willing to leave what you did in the past...in the past. And I'm also saying that just because you haven't done something in a long time...I think you can learn to be good at it." She was one hundred percent positive that Regina could learn to love someone very strongly. She was obviously passionate.

"It's all very complicated," Regina said after a bit, "and i haven't any idea why I'm telling you any of this. For whatever reason, it's suddenly very important to me that you understand that it's not the idea that I would be on a date with you, or another woman for that matter." Emma bristled at the notion that Regina would be on a date with anyone _other_ than her, and that's when she knew she was well and truly hooked. "It's the idea that I would be on a date at all." Emma wasn't sure what to say to that. Except that she'd rather have the woman's friendship than nothing at all, perhaps.

"The idea is… It simply isn't. Frankly, I'm not even sure I can, and the town would have my head on a spike if they thought I was attempting to seduce Snow White's daughter." Emma frowned and looked away from Regina at this. She _hated_ that they could just claim her after twenty-nine years. That they could just...put that label on her, when they had no idea who or what she was. She wasn't Snow White's daughter. She was Emma Swan, thief, foster brat, high school dropout, convict, _nobody_ important outside of this damned town. And apparently a savior. "I think Henry has had enough angry mobs at his front door to last him the rest of his life. My sins shouldn't make his life that much harder. I want that to stop. I _need_ that to stop." Regina's words pulled Emma out of her mind-rant and she sighed internally. She would always be called whatever they wanted to label her as.

"Why do you care so much?" Regina asked her, and Emma wasn't sure how to respond. "I've tried to run you out of town multiple times, I've tried to curse you, I've tried to kill your mother more times than I can actually remember, and, still, you're here. Why?" She had a choice to make. She could let this all go tonight, she could never breathe a word about her feelings, and they would remain friends. She could tell the woman how she felt, and they could remain friends. Or maybe...something could change.

Emma chose to be bold. "I'm still here because I choose to be here with you. I could have left and moved back in with my parents. It would be a lot easier than participating in all sorts of town-related embarrassing activities as well as whatever else Ruby's little heart desires in order to get back into the town's good graces." She took a deep breath and decided to spit it all out in a rush. "It would be easier for the town, but it wouldn't be easier for me because, well, my heart couldn't stand it. I can't tell you _why_. It just...wants what it wants." She thought about ending there, but there was still more. She had to let Regina know there was an out. "It wants to be here, with you. I want to be here with you. And, even if that means there's never a relationship, I'm still never going anywhere."

She paused for that to sink in, and then continued, "Just like you spent all that time mastering things. This is another thing you can learn to be better at, especially if you did it once or twice or so in the past." Emma had faith that Regina could love again. She knew it would be difficult, but she wanted to...wanted to give it the best shot she could. "You're already good at loving Henry...and you get better that expressing that every day. And honestly, I wasn't asking you to get me into bed, Regina." Emma had to will her teenage-boy-like mind into submission to keep _those_ thoughts at bay. "I mean, I've been the one making all the...moves...so to speak. Ask yourself who made the bet into a date?"

Emma waited for Regina to respond. It felt like an hour had gone by, even though she knew it had only been maybe a couple of minutes. When Regina started talking though, it had nothing to do with anything she just said. She looked at her in shock. What was this? "In addition to playing the piano, I also play the guitar and the violin, though not as well as I'd like. You might be interested to know that I'm actually decent at boxing, too, but not for self defense, and," Regina paused briefly and Emma gave her an incredulous look. "sometimes, _Emma_, I even have ice cream for dinner. So, if you insist on remaining, then you should know my habits, which include sleeping in on Sundays and leaving Nerf guns hidden in the house on Friday afternoons so that, when Henry gets home from school, we can have Nerf wars." Regina smiled at her, and Emma blinked. She was stunned. "It looks like I'll have to add more guns now. Maybe we should go shopping tomorrow for some. What do you think?"

"...what just...happened? Did you, what? You sleep in? Nerf guns? _Who are you_?" She just sat there and looked at Regina for a long moment with confusion. What the hell? What. the. hell. Not to mention that the woman had called her…

"You called me Emma." Comprehension dawned on her, and she became excited so fast, she couldn't get the damn seat belt off fast enough. "Oh, oh! I said the reason!" She sat up straighter, looking directly at Regina. "I'm sort of speechless. I said a lot just then. You can make the 'entire vocabulary' jokes now. We definitely need to go shopping for nerf guns. And Saturday...paintball."

"Paintballs leave nasty bruises. I'd rather not, and I'd rather not make my usual vocabulary jokes at the moment, either. I'm afraid i'm not in the headspace for it." Emma was so happy she couldn't even care that Regina had shot her down about paintball. Regina turned to look at the house though, and then said "I see the lights are on downstairs. Miss Lucas must still be awake." Emma knew that meant the conversation was about to be over.

Sure enough, Regina got out of the car. Emma followed her lead, stepping out of her own side. "I think I would very much like to go inside, pay Ruby for watching Henry, and then go to bed. It's been a long night after a long day. Between painting your room today and this, I feel a little drained."

Emma beamed at her and teased, "What, no goodnight kiss?"

"Not tonight. One life altering thing at a time, shall we?" Emma's heart soared. That wasn't a 'we're only going to be friends' moment! She shut the door and headed towards the door. "Perhaps tomorrow, after we're both up, we can take Henry to the toy store and then have dinner at Granny's… as a family?" She was floating on clouds and wasn't sure that she'd ever come down.

Emma chuckled and said, "Of course we can go to the toy store and have dinner together. Since I'm staying, I need to build a collection of Legos."

Regina responded, "You want Legos? Henry has a stash under his bed. It won't be long before he stashes other things under there, and I'm sure he won't miss his Legos. Although, if you're any indication of how he's going to mature, I may be mistaken." Emma chuckled at this, and Regina added, "Come, Miss...Emma. Let's go inside. It's very late."

Emma practically skipped behind Regina to the door, and said brightly, "No, the porn will be _under_ the Legos." She almost added, 'that's where I keep mine' but thought better of it. "I'll have the talk with him when it's time," she offered, "But yes. Inside." She reached around Regina, and pulled open the door. Emma gave a little bow and a smile. "After you, my Queen."

It made Regina blush, and Emma smiled even more brightly, stepping into the house behind her.

**Many thanks for reading, see you next week! **


	14. September 8: Kitchen

_**Chapter 14**_  
_**September 8, Sunday Morning**_  
_**In the Kitchen**_

_"One life altering thing at a time, shall we?"_

Emma couldn't get Regina's voice out of her head. Life altering. Life changing. Life...life...life. She lay in bed awake long after their not-date, staring up at the ceiling and considering all of the choices in her life since Henry arrived at the door. She made a choice to take responsibility for his well-being. She made a choice to stay and take a permanent job. She chose to stay even when everything went sideways after she broke a curse and found out magic and fairy tales were real. Emma lay there and wondered how many of her choices were really choices at all, though. Were they choices, or were they simply inevitable? Was it fate that brought her here to 'save' the town? Was it her destiny that was written before she'd even been born, that she would be here, that she would have Henry, that she would come back for Henry, that she would break the curse, that she would...love the Evil Queen?

Emma got up and paced around the room. No. She couldn't believe that it would be fate that would bring her to love Regina. She believed that love was a choice. That you could choose to fall in love with someone, and choose to not love someone. Of course, the second choice was often a hell of a lot easier than the first. It was already physically painful for her to think about abandoning her...Regina. It caused a little pang in her chest that was so foreign to her that the first few times it happened she'd thought it was indigestion. Emma still felt the sensation was so uncomfortable sometimes that she wanted to leave anyway, just to tell her own heart that _she _was in charge, not it. Not that...foreign part of her that seemed to be making all of her decisions for her as if _fate_ were in charge and it had nothing to do with Emma's choices.

And how could she go from being elated just a few hours ago to this...mess that she was now? It was almost as if it were a cruel joke. Her brain was determined to send her into a dark spiral as soon as she lay down every single night, which led to the pacing, which usually led to some form of exercise, or incredible amount of willpower to keep herself just in the same spot all night. But somewhere inside of her she knew that she was, indeed, _satisfied_ with the way the night had turned out. She was even _happy_ though she hated that term with every fiber of her being as something to measure the meaning of life with. It was only in the middle of the night that her traitorous mind and body betrayed her and made her completely unable to get in touch with the side of her emotions that would put her easily and peacefully to sleep.

It made her think the same things over and over again. What if she packed up all of her things and left? It was a cyclical argument that went absolutely nowhere every single night. She felt certain that either Regina would hear her leave, or alternatively, she'd hear her come crawling back with her tail between her legs, and she'd have to explain what the hell she was doing out at three or four in the morning. And she didn't think she could bear the disappointed look that she was sure would be on Regina's face. Or _worse_, the look that would tell her that Regina expected exactly this very thing from her and wasn't surprised. Emma stopped pacing and slid to the floor next to the bed, sliding a hand through her hair and tugging on it at the base of her neck in frustration. Everything would be so much smoother if she could just _sleep_.

She sat there and stared at the blue wall until the room lightened, and then got up and headed down to the kitchen. Emma figured if she was going to be awake, she could at least do something useful and make breakfast. The fact that doing something would take her mind off of everything was just an added bonus.

Of course, trying to navigate her way around Regina's kitchen was like trying to find a needle in a lake. It took her at least a good twenty minutes just to find everything she needed to make scrambled eggs. It was unfamiliar equipment to her, so she wasn't exactly sure she did it like she'd been taught, but soon she had a pile of eggs hanging out. She popped some bread into Regina's toaster and stared at it. There were more settings on the toaster than on some of the electronics she had to work with down at the station. She set it on level two because she thought it might be a reasonable setting, considering that she had no idea what a level two piece of toast would come out looking like, and pushed the lever down.

Of course, that was when Regina walked into the kitchen, looking like a dream. "Miss…_Emma_, are you cooking?" Emma could feel a blush rising on her face, but she smiled all the same at the use of her first name. It made her giddy in a way that she couldn't quite explain every time. It took away all of the darkness that she'd been wrestling with all night. She watched as Regina looked around the kitchen. "Where's Henry? Did you really wake up before either of us? Actually, don't answer that. I'm still waking up and that's an obvious answer. Clearly, you have." Emma could do nothing but stare at her, that was until she asked frantically, "_Oh God, what are you burning?_"

Emma frantically looked around as she said, "Let's just say I woke up before either of you and pretend I slept." She looked in the oven, made sure all the burners were off and she couldn't understand what was burning….the toast! "I'm not burning anything, it's just how the toast smells!" She rushed to the toaster and saw that it was set at the highest setting. What the hell? She hadn't touched it! "Oh, shit, the toast is burning!" She tried to get the toast out before more damage was done, but she couldn't figure out how to get the lever to come up or how to shut the damn thing off. Helplessly, she whirled around and looked at Regina, "You distracted me! What are you doing up already? I was supposed to have more time! Why isn't your toaster normal!?"

Regina came over and casually brushed Emma out of the way and she had an internal war between her heart and her brain. Her brain wanted to go into a panic because it thought Regina had basically just smacked her out of the way, but her heart was too busy being elated at the fact that Regina had touched her at all. "Get away from the toaster before you burn the house down. I'll take care of it." Emma watched, stunned by her own thoughts as Regina easily popped the bread out of the toaster. She winced as the brunette threw the charred remains in a can. "There's nothing _wrong_ with my toaster. You have it set at the highest setting." The uselessness that she'd felt at being awake with nothing to do earlier surged back full force as she couldn't even make breakfast right. It didn't help that Regina reinforced her own thoughts with, "I can't believe you aren't even able to cook simple breakfast food." Emma winced and looked away. Who would have taught her? She heard Regina groan as she looked at the toaster. "I think I'm going to have to buy a new toaster. This may be a lost cause."

Emma didn't know what her feelings were doing. She heard Regina sigh and wanted to run from the room in shame. What was she thinking, trying to make breakfast for this woman? "I'm up late. I normally wake up at six in the morning. It's nine AM. How much more time do you need?" Emma didn't know. She just wanted to do something nice and it was all blowing up in her face. She looked down at the floor and away from Regina, not wanting to see the look on her face. "Please tell me you haven't attempted anything besides the toast. I can't even begin to understand how you're _this_ bad at making anything other than cereal." Emma looked up at Regina in surprise as the still smoking toaster was shoved into her hands. "Here, take the toaster and put it on the back porch. We'll throw it out once it cools down enough not to cause a fire." The woman looked as if she was torn between wanting to be angry with her and wanting to laugh at her. Emma wasn't sure how she felt about that so she settled for staring down at the toaster in her hands instead.

"That settles it. If you're going to live here, then you're going to learn how to cook. We'll start with how to make an acceptable cup of coffee. Watch and learn, there will be a quiz afterward." Wait...Regina was going to take the time to teach her? She looked up at her with an incredulous look.

"It's not a lost cause! I can fix it! I can…" Emma protested with a small whine, her need to make up for things rearing its ugly head. She trailed off though as Regina crossed her arms and leveled a look at her that made her want to crawl into a little hole and never return. "Oh come _on_," she said after a moment of collecting herself. She was an adult now, not a child. She needed to stand her ground. "It isn't that bad, you just...came at a bad time." The brunette's expression barely changed except for a quirked eyebrow. "It isn't my fault your toaster has fifteen different ways to make a simple piece of bread into deliciousness," she tried weakly.

At this, Regina did chuckle. Emma looked around and remembered the eggs. She pointed them out and said, "Look! I made perfect scrambled eggs. _Perfect_." Of course, she was pretty sure that they weren't perfect. But she had the confidence to make them seem that way. And if Regina said otherwise...she'd...well she just might lose it. "I should get a medal for them. Forget about the toast."

Regina turned away from her, but Emma saw the small smile on her face. It helped her rally a bit, her walls going back up and her spirits lifting. "Fine," she challenged, "Show me how you like your coffee. If you think I'm taking a quiz though...forget it." She opened the back door and set the toaster outside as she was talking.

"What I think is that Henry can make scrambled eggs. He's eleven. You should be able to at least out cook our son." Well of _course_ Henry could make scrambled eggs. He had someone to teach him. Emma had...no one. She kept trying to bring herself back around, to raise her own spirits but everything Regina was saying just reminded her of the past. "While the coffee brews, let me cook some bacon, and we can turn your eggs into breakfast burritos. Henry loves them, so I'm going to assume you do, too." Why not? Clearly she couldn't even keep her eggs the way she wanted them, so what was the point in arguing now?

"I _can_ out-cook our son," Emma defended anyway, despite Regina's look of disbelief. "I just wanted scrambled eggs. But fine, if you want breakfast burritos, then so be it." She gave up and went to the fridge, pulling out juice. "I'm not picky. I'll just sit over here with my orange juice and watch you work." She settled on to her stool with a huff and slouched over, taking a drink. "Maybe it'll help me learn where everything is." Maybe it would do nothing but make her feel even more inferior.

Emma quietly watched and sipped her drink as Regina worked. It was oddly comforting to have Regina take care of her...them. Her and Henry. Okay, sometimes just her. After several minutes of silence Regina asked, "So...you didn't sleep again last night? I thought the evening ended well. What kept you up?"

Emma internally winced. There were so many reasons why she didn't sleep on a regular basis...none of which she wanted to share with Regina. She didn't want to share her weakness with the brunette, even if...even if they were going to have a _thing_. "The sleeping thing? I um.." she trailed off uncertainly for a moment, and then told a lie so weak that she knew Regina would see right through it. "I got caught up in playing a game on the Wii. It was six AM before I knew it! Silly me. You know...darn those games and all." She probably wanted Regina to press her...to make her talk about it.

Of course, Regina didn't really _do_ that sort of thing without heavy amounts of sass and...well, _Regina_-ness. "I may not have your supposed internal lie detector, but even I can tell you're being less than truthful, Miss Swan." Regina rolled her eyes and corrected herself. "Emma." It made Emma feel warm inside all over again and she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "It will take me some time to adjust to calling you by your first name. Please don't look at me like that. Old habits can be very difficult to break." Okay, so the smile was more like a smirk, and she slowly shook her head as Regina asked her not to give her that look. "Now, _Emma_, why don't you tell me the truth?" Because the truth was painful. She thought that should be obvious. "What's really on your mind that's keeping you up? I'm told it's helpful to talk about these sorts of things."

Emma took a deep breath and then quietly said, "Look, Regina, I...went through a lot of stuff. I don't want to _talk _about it. I tell you I don't sleep because I know you're going to catch me awake, and I don't...I can't just...tell you." She hated how she sounded. Pathetic. In fact, she hated this entire morning and was considering going back to her room, lying down for a while, and trying again later. Like maybe around three in the afternoon later. "What do you want me to say?" she asked, and then continued before Regina could respond, "I don't want to make anyone feel more guilty for things that were outside of their control. I can't turn back what happened. I can't make my brain shut off when I'm waiting to fall asleep, and I can't make my dreams go away when I'm asleep." Regina frowned and looked down and Emma felt guilty for bringing up anything at all. "I...tolerate the situation," she explained, and then tried to make the mood lighter by adding, "And then I burn toast."

Regina looked up with a very small smile at the corner of her mouth and Emma felt a little bit lighter. She found herself living more and more to make the woman smile. It made Regina so beautiful when she smiled. "You're not the only one whose past keeps them awake at night. The next time you're...tolerating come find me. We can tolerate it together, and, perhaps, I can take the opportunity to show you how to _not_ burn toast."

It felt like more than just teaching her about breakfast. Emma felt like she should offer something more. Like she should offer...herself. "Okay. I can do that. I mean, maybe that's fair, right? I keep asking you about your past, I should be willing to tell you about mine...or at least...willing to be open to maybe someday telling you about mine." Maybe. With a lot of beer involved.

Regina slid a plate in front of her and Emma picked at it with her fork. She wasn't hungry. "You don't have to tell me anything for me to feel certain things regarding how you grew up. I assure you that, whether you said anything of it or not, I would still think about it." Emma listlessly chased her food around her plate, occasionally raising a bite to chew and force herself to swallow. Regina wasn't making her feel better by adding in guilt regardless of whether she said anything or not. "But I understand the desire not to talk about one's past. So, instead, shall we talk about our present?"

Emma looked up as Regina settled across from her with coffee. She was grateful for the subject change from old memories. "We clearly need a new toaster." Emma didn't know about _clearly_ but she wasn't willing to argue about it anymore. She'd fix the toaster later, just to show the woman that she could. "Where would you like to go shopping for one?" Was Regina actually asking her opinion? "I suggest the Crate and Barrel in Boston. It would make for a lovely road trip today, don't you think?" Fucking Boston. Exactly where she did _not_ want to be when she was emotionally strung out. But, she supposed one day wouldn't kill her. And she'd have Regina and Henry there to distract her from the memories that threatened to eat her alive. Not like shopping was the same as hanging out in...places she used to hang out.

"When we get a new toaster, can we get something simple? I mean, do you really need seventeen settings?" Emma could get excited for one thing though about this shopping trip...the chance to get the hell out of Storybrooke for a few hours. "Oh, and maybe we can look at other fun kitchen things!" Things that she used to see on infomercials in the middle of the night when she was awake, for example. Surely Regina couldn't own ALL of those.

"I suppose so, and I don't need anything else for the kitchen," Regina said in a tone of forced indifference. Emma saw right through it. "I've got everything we could possibly need and many things I likely don't. But, if you really want to buy something else we could always get you an apron." Emma was shaking her head before Regina even finished the words, despite the teasing tone. "Perhaps one of those lovely, frilly ones I've often seen Beaver Cleaver's mother wear in those black-and-white television reruns?"

Emma rolled her eyes and said, "Are you kidding? You can wear the frilly aprons in this relationship. I need an apron that's awesome and has something hilarious on it." Emma wondered how Regina would feel if she showed up in the kitchen one morning wearing _only_ an apron. "Also, I'd like to stop by a bookstore." For the first time in a long time she felt like the little dark cloud that hung over her and demanded she not buy things in case of an emergency move was lifting. Maybe it was only temporary, but she'd take it for the moment. "Henry probably wants new comic books, too. Family trip!"

"Relationship?" Regina looked at her and it made Emma wince. "Moving rather fast, aren't we, Sheriff?" Emma could hear the sarcasm in the brunette's voice...but was that a hint of panic she detected?

Emma looked at Regina sheepishly. "I didn't mean it _that_ way." She tried to brush it off quickly before the panicky thought consumed them both. "Relationship, friendship...you know." She wasn't sure Regina _did_ know, but she was going to just leave it at that and quickly move on before a full on attack set in.

Regina hummed and changed the subject, which Emma was grateful eternally for. "And comic books? You couldn't read something more age appropriate? I swear, I have two eleven year olds living in this house." She grinned and shrugged. She'd probably never give those up. "Alright, we'll stop by the bookstore as well. While you and Henry look at comics, I'll sit in the cafe and drink a latte. It's been some time since I've had a decent latte." Regina picked up her food and Emma frowned when she realized Regina hadn't finished all of hers. "Go wake Henry while I finish breakfast, and we'll go shortly."

Emma stood and cleaned up her plate, stuffing dishes haphazardly in the dishwasher with no care for order or reason. She protested, "I read other books," but her tone was weak. "Staying up all night gives a lot of time to read. Comics are just an added bonus! But hey, you enjoy your latte while we buy tons of comics." Emma winked at Regina as she headed to the stairs. Honestly, she sort of wished she could just hang out in the coffee shop and watch people all day. "I'm off to get the kid," she called, bouncing up the stairs.


	15. September 8: Backyard under the Tree

_**Chapter 15**_  
_**September 8, Sunday Night**_  
_**Mayor's Backyard, Under the Apple Tree**_

Emma's day hadn't been that bad. Sure, she'd spent it in one of the places she hated on earth, but she'd also spent it with her family, which more than made up for the physical location of their trip. She was ecstatic at how the time she got to spend with Henry had gone...especially how Henry had treated Regina. He seemed to finally be coming around and stop being so much of a little shit with her and that made Emma exceedingly happy. They got a red toaster that didn't have fifteen settings...it only had six and Emma felt confident in her ability to figure out how to create the perfect slice of toast. She'd show Regina who could make the best breakfast food yet.

The bookstore was the best part, though. Every so often Emma would look up from an argument with Henry over superheros or some storyline in a comic book to see Regina watching them and just smiling beautifully. She wasn't sure that the woman even realized that she was doing it, only that it made her whole face light up and Emma thought she'd never seen anyone so lovely in all of her life. She had a hard time focusing on Henry when all she wanted to do was stare at Regina across the way. A smile graced her own face the entire way home while Henry talked to death about everything he'd read in his comics and everything they'd seen and everything he was going to buy the next time they all went together. Emma froze as she thought that through. Henry had faith that they were all going to stay together. She slightly shook her head as if to clear it. Of course Henry had faith that they were all going to stay together. Henry didn't know that Emma wrestled with leaving all the time.

It was so nice outside that she couldn't bear to stay in the house. She suggested hanging out under the trees in the backyard to Regina, who nodded and mentioned something about checking on Henry before she'd head out. Emma grabbed a book and sprawled out under the apple tree to read under the moonlight. She found it amusing that there was already a blanket laid out under the tree and wondered how often Regina was actually out here.

Regina's voice startled her out of her book some time later. "I just checked on Henry," the brunette called out as she strode toward Emma. Emma watched her with awe. It wasn't what she was wearing or even in the way the moonlight made her glow like some sort of celestial being of light, but simply the powerful way that Regina Mills carried herself that drew Emma's eyes to her over and over again. "He's asleep in the middle of his bed, surrounded by comic books. I don't know how he could possibly be comfortable in all of that, but I've learned over the years that he could likely sleep on a log if he was so of mind." Emma smiled at that. It was the first obvious trait that she picked up on that came from her. While she couldn't necessarily always fall asleep, when she _did_ sleep it could be anywhere. Regina sat down next to her and asked, "Are you enjoying your book? I have to admit that I was rather surprised to see you pick up something other than a graphic novel." Book? Oh yes, she was out here reading. She'd completely forgotten in the wake of Regina's entrance.

Was she enjoying her book before? She decided to say yes, even though she couldn't remember. "I am enjoying my book," Emma responded in what she hoped wasn't a completely mechanical tone. She internally winced and explained further. "Since I didn't have a lot to do in well, jail, I read a lot. And I kept the habit up. I've read a little bit of every genre, I think. This is…" What the hell had she been reading? Something about elves? Come to think of it, that was one thing that _hadn't_ yet appeared in this damn town. "really great, " she finished lamely. Emma patted the book in her lap for emphasis. "Thanks for taking us to the bookstore," she added, "Did you enjoy your latte?"

"In fact, I did," Regina responded, and Emma smiled broadly at her. It was good to see Regina enjoying herself. "And I also enjoyed watching you and Henry look through books together." Emma could feel a blush rising at the idea that Regina had been watching her just as much as she had been watching the brunette, but it was wiped away by the woman's next words. "When I was a young girl in the Enchanted Forest, I read quite a bit. It was one of the few forms of entertainment I had. Books are a wonderful thing, aren't they? They can take you away to someplace else, if only for a short time."

Emma felt like she could hear an entire history in Regina's words. She knew the feeling herself, having picked up reading in order to escape the four walls of her cell, the rising fear of giving birth to...Henry, and thoughts of… "I suppose you and I have more in common that you may think." She blinked as Regina's voice drew her from her thoughts before they became too painful. She wiped the gratefulness off of her face before it gave her away and turned slightly to face the woman.

"Yeah," Emma began, "That's why I read a bunch of books in jail." Well, sharing was caring, right? She couldn't expect Regina to be honest with her about the past if she wasn't willing to offer up her own demons. "What were you trying to escape in the Enchanted Forest? Trolls? Giants?"

"More on that another time?" Of course, when offering up bits and pieces of yourself it was always wise to remember that you had no control over whether or not it would be reciprocated. It took an extreme act of willpower to hold in the heavy sigh that threatened to escape. It wasn't her right to demand answers to her questions, especially when Regina wasn't ready to share. "What do you think about moving this onto the back porch? It's lovely out tonight, and I have a bottle of red that I was thinking of opening, which I'd rather drink while sitting upright in a chair." And not sprawled out uncivilized-like, which was something Emma would do.

Emma wanted to protest. She'd much rather lay sprawled out under the stars. But she knew that Regina was more used to doing things properly, and so simply stood up and accepted that it was going to be that way. "I'd love some wine. I'll grab the leftover turnover, too. If you aren't hungry, I certainly am. Would you like ice cream to go with it?" Ice cream went with everything. You couldn't tell her otherwise, she wouldn't hear it.

"No, thank you," Regina responded simply, and though it was the former mayor that initiated the subject change, Emma could hear the demons warring in her voice. She wanted to turn around and hug the woman, to tell her that it was fine, that she understood, that everything would be okay now. She knew that would get her knocked on her ass and probably turned into Emma-toast. If there was one thing she knew about Regina, it was that you just didn't touch the woman without her permission...and certainly not by surprise. Unless you were looking for death by fireball.

Emma was surprised when Regina spoke up again, "If I were to explain what I was trying to escape from in the Enchanted Forest when I was a girl, I'm afraid I'd need something a bit stronger than wine." She listened quietly as they stepped in for food and wine. "But for the sake of attempting to create some sort of…" Emma looked over as Regina searched for words, but let her work it out. "something...suffice it to say that being a royal has severe limitations." Emma paled a little at this idea. For the first time she thought about the fact that she was technically...a royal.

Regina began to tend to their wine, and Emma pulled out a carton of what was undoubtedly the hardest ice cream she'd ever tackled in her life. She looked at it stubbornly as she set it on the counter, listening to Regina talk about her life. "As a princess, you are expected from an early age to learn and know much regarding the royal court and the politics therein. Whereas other children your age may be out playing or assisting their families with work in the fields, you are expected to study, focus, and learn quickly so as to never make a mistake or a misstep because one, single action done incorrectly could literally mean the difference between war and peace." Emma searched through drawers looking for a scoop...or spoon...or something to get the damn ice cream from the container. She finally found one and tried shoving it into the carton. It barely went in, and a chip of ice cream went flying. She glared at it, and went stalking after it as Regina sighed, "Being the child of a royal means never being a child." It made her pause.

It was true that she had never really been a child. It was also true that she was the child of royalty, though she didn't feel like it now and she still hated that they could just claim her. It was _also_ true that if they started expecting her to learn, to study, to sit still and behave and, be...everything princessy, well she just might run off screaming. She didn't want to be a princess. Not even a little bit. She picked up the flying ice cream and tossed it into the sink, moving back to the carton to attack it some more. Ice cream bit by ice cream bit she was managing to get it into a bowl. "There is much to escape from in a world such as that, I assure you, and you _have_ met my mother." That made Emma pause as the very real and very painful memory of Cora trying to rip out her heart rushed over her. She shook it off and went back to the ice cream, giving a little cheer of triumph as she filled a bowl for herself.

"You know, on second thought, ice cream sounds nice, thank you." Emma almost groaned in response, looking down at the carton. Fine. If Regina wanted ice cream, ice cream she would have. She grabbed another bowl and set to work, grunting and swearing about precious queens and their changing of their minds and finicky ways and their not having a freezer that kept ice cream properly.

Finally, she had a second bowl of ice cream, and she held it up in triumph, passing it to Regina with a little bow. "Here," she declared, smiling as Regina laughed, "your ice cream."

They settled on the back porch and Emma was quiet for a few minutes. Regina's description of everything she had to learn had surprisingly frightened her. She tentatively asked, "What if my parents expect me to learn all of that stuff?" She winced at how afraid she sounded, but pressed on anyway. "How can I learn all of that now? How on earth could…" She trailed off, imagining herself tied down or imprisoned or some other sort of coercion because she couldn't imagine any other way that they could get her to sit and study or learn and she didn't want to go through that kind of thing _again_. She blinked, trying to clear the thought.

"There is no kingdom for them to go back to," Regina said, tugging Emma back to the present once again. Her habit of doing that with only her voice was becoming...refreshing. "You've seen what's left of our land. There's nothing for you to learn. I very much doubt they expect anything from you but for you to find your true love and be happy. They're idealists in that way." Except if her true love happened to be Regina. That was a prospect that was unacceptable to her parents at the moment, she imagined. Emma wasn't going to voice that particular thought. Nor...was she going to explore it further herself.

Emma was silent for a while, thinking about what it must have been like for Regina as a child. As a young adult, even. She didn't want to think that she could possibly begin to understand the woman sitting next to her, but the picture was being drawn for her in a way that she could begin to make out some lines. "That sounds _terrible_ for you. I can't even imagine...do you feel more free here?" She paused for a moment and then added, "Now that you don't have all of the...restrictions. Is that the right word? Expectations, maybe?"

"Every world has restrictions," Regina began, and Emma turned to look at her as she spoke. That was the truth. Emma had been through so many restrictions and expectations that she couldn't even begin to deal with them all. "In some ways, I am much more free here. In other ways, the restrictions are far more painful." Emma could imagine that not being the Queen anymore could be painful. She didn't know if that was what Regina meant, though. Maybe there were other things that she couldn't even imagine. "But, unlike the Enchanted Forest, most of the restrictions I feel here are of my own making." Emma wondered how she could help Regina to release some of those restrictions.

"Yeah, I could see that," she offered simply. Emma quietly thought about how she would feel if she had been an Evil Queen and Regina had come and broken her curse and then taken her son and then started coming around and demanding to be in her life. She finished her ice cream slowly. Honestly, the fact that Regina hadn't blasted her off the planet yet surprised her. Emma thought that maybe she should be a little less intense toward Regina. Could she really be less than herself though?

The answer was no. "I have met your mother," Emma said, bringing the topic around to yet another painful subject. "Let's say the experience of her trying to take my heart is something I never want to repeat. And, if that's who you grew up with, I can imagine she would be...extra-demanding. Putting it lightly." She figured after meeting Cora, there was no way that the bitch didn't abuse Regina in some way. And even if that ended up being an assumption that was wrong...she was pretty sure that there were many someones that had.

"Yes precisely," Regina said, as if Emma hadn't mentioned anything about her mother trying to take her heart. Maybe she hadn't heard..Ah. "A moment. Did I hear you correctly? Did you just say that mother _tried to take your heart_?" Emma watched carefully for fireballs as Regina set her wine down slowly and turned to face her. "Are you… I mean, it's not as though I...no, I can't say that, but she…is it...is it still there?" Emma was sympathetic to the obvious panic that was flooding through the brunette. Here was the evidence she needed that Regina was terrified of her mother. Here was the evidence she needed that it went much further than she imagined. Regina weakly finished, her eyes staring at the spot where her heart should be, "Your heart?"

Emma hesitated for about a moment. She couldn't imagine anything she could say that would put Regina at ease. And since she'd always been a woman of action rather than words, she set down her own glass of wine and said, "Thankfully." She tried to soothe the woman across from her. "I never used to believe in true love...but I've seen things happen here that...make me _have_ to believe, I suppose. I mean, she _tried_ to take my heart, but she couldn't pull it out of my chest."

Regina's eyes widened and Emma wondered what was going through her mind. Since she didn't have the experience with Cora that Regina did, it must have been a lot more shocking to Regina than it was to Emma. She was obviously still in a panic, though. Emma took a deep breath. Was she willing to go through the pain of having Regina's hand touching her heart simply to reassure her? The answer was yes. A hundred times yes because as much as she'd like to deny it in her mind, Emma would do practically anything that Regina asked of her, and so much more that she knew Regina would never have the courage to ask her for. "If you don't believe me," she began, her voice wavering as she thought about the pain it would cause her, "you can check for yourself." She tried to brush it off as if she'd do the same thing for anyone, but the truth was she probably wouldn't let anyone else get their hand near her chest ever again. "I mean, I'd be suspicious if someone told me what I just told you."

"You would trust me to do that?" Regina sounded shocked and her eyes were wide as she stared at the area where Emma's heart was.

Emma didn't know if she did trust the brunette completely, but as with all things it was a choice. She was going to choose to trust Regina, the woman that she knew lay behind all of the trappings of the queen, the mayor, and whatever other label that everyone else threw on her. "I'm going to trust you," she answered her with determination, moving to the edge of the chair and tapping her chest with her fingers. "Come over here, and see for yourself."

Regina hesitated and Emma thought she could understand. What if it all went wrong? What if her heart wasn't actually there? It was a frightening prospect for the other woman...to trust that Emma wasn't a puppet of her mother's. After a long moment, Regina dragged her chair over and sat inches from her. Emma breathed in her scent and felt oddly comforted in the situation, despite the fact that Regina was about to be able to crush her and she was allowing it to happen. "I sincerely hope Henry doesn't wake up and find us doing this. He'll never believe me if I tell him I'm 'only checking'." Regina slowly placed her hand over Emma's heart and she inhaled sharply as her heart leaped in her chest. "This may hurt. There's nothing I can do to stop that, but I'll try to minimize it."

Emma tried to be reassuring even though she was slightly panicked herself now at the anticipation of pain. "I'm sure it won't be that…" She inhaled sharply as Regina pushed forward, the sensation only mildly painful...nothing even close to comparing to when Cora touched her. Not even on the same scale. "Okay…" she trailed off as she felt Regina wrap her fingers gently around her heart. "That's..not as bad as last time. It's weird that you have your hand in my chest." She felt goosebumps rise on her arms and a tingling started at the back of her neck as her heart declared a certain rightness to the situation. Emma yelled at it internally that this was certainly not the way things were supposed to be and that she was _not_ about to let Regina yank her heart out just because the traitorous organ wanted to be with the other woman.

Regina looked up into her eyes and Emma had an extreme urge to lean forward slightly and kiss her. She knew that it would be a disastrous thing to do. She blinked away the sensation instead as Regina said softly, "Your heart is very...warm." Emma wanted to make a crack about it being about 98.6 degrees, but she felt that it wasn't the time for humor, either. "It must be because you're a product of true love." Regina looked back down and Emma watched her carefully as she said in an awed voice, "It pulses with it. Such an interesting sensation, to have the literal manifestation of true love in one's hand." Emma noticed that all thoughts of Cora seemed to have fled from Regina's mind, and she was so grateful for that that she might dance around...later. "I… it's oddly comforting."

Okay, Emma just couldn't help herself. Maybe it was her...charming nature. She internally scoffed at the notion, but she needed to lightly say, "You...have my heart in your hand." If she wasn't a little terrified that Regina would squeeze her heart and kill her, she would have laughed too, but instead she smirked and added, "I used to roll my eyes at that cliche, and yet...here you are."

Emma winced as Regina removed her hand. "I think…" she said, wiping at her forehead, "I think I'm going to go back inside for another glass of wine." Having been a runner for most of her life, Emma knew a line when she heard one.

"Well, if you're going inside, bring me back something stronger than wine, okay?" Emma didn't want her to just take off and then make excuses later for why she didn't come back. "You can't just run away after that," she mumbled, more to herself as Regina moved her chair back into place.

"I'm not running away. I'm…" Emma raised an eyebrow at her and waited for her to tell her what she was actually doing instead. She knew the former mayor well enough to know that she wasn't going anywhere now that she'd been called out. At least one of them wasn't a runner. "I'm taking a seat in my chair because we probably should continue this conversation without alcohol involved." Emma frowned. That was a point she didn't agree on, but she let it go. Anything for Regina. If she felt that they shouldn't drink anymore, then she'd...drink later.

"Emma, what are we doing?" the brunette asked in an almost exasperated tone after a moment. "What do we plan to accomplish with this madness? I hope you realize that nothing I'm involved in has ever ended well." Emma had to take a deep breath to not snap back that this wasn't madness. She didn't think that loving Regina was _madness_. A little...dangerous, maybe. But not crazy. And when did she...when did she start thinking of it as love? When had her brain made that switch without her knowing? She chastised her brain for springing that little surprise on her without consulting her first. It was probably her heart's fault. She yelled internally at it, too. "You're bound to get hurt, or worse, by the time this is all over." She was also bound to run away by the time this was all over, but Regina didn't need to know that. She was likely to hurt Regina just as much. In fact, she was pretty sure that out of the two of them, Emma was the one more likely to fuck up all the things. She had a bad relationship track record, too.

"I know you're not here just for Henry, but is it really in Henry's best interest for us to continue this?" Yes. The answer was yes because Henry needed them to be a Family. And as long as they were giving it their best shot, Henry wouldn't be hurt. Emma was sure of it. Maybe she was overly hopeful, but she felt that Henry would be fine.

She scoffed at Regina. "Why am I bound to get hurt, or worse? Is it because of a track record? Or because I'd be in danger? I don't know what we're doing, because I don't want to do anything to...push you." That was the truth. Emma could see that this was going to take time and patience and a lot of work and effort and she wasn't going to just give up after one emotionally charged night. "Or really, anything to scare you off or make you think I'm going to leave or that there would be some kind of ultimatum where you would have to have a relationship with me to be around Henry." She winced as she remembered that technically, this was how the entire thing started. It made a sour taste rise in the back of her throat.

"Maybe I just like you," she pressed on, trying to ignore the feeling, and also Regina's head shaking. She could be negative all she wanted to, Emma would continue to be optimistic. "Maybe I just think you're a really gorgeous woman, and I'm attracted to you, and I think you and I might have more in common in our history and what we like and don't like even though we come from two entirely different worlds. Maybe right now I just want to get to know you better and tell you a bit about myself as well." That was her original choice, and she still stuck by that. She still wanted to know everything about Regina.

"Maybe I'm rambling now," Emma admitted, which caused a smile to cross Regina's face. "But I know that you can't scare me off, and I know that whatever happens, Henry cares about your happiness too." That's really all she cared about. Regina's happiness. A small voice in the back of her head asked her about her _own_ happiness, and she stifled it with a swift mental kick.

"Emma," Regina said tiredly, "Evil Queens don't get happy endings." Emma wished she wouldn't add the evil bit. She'd done evil things, yes. But doing evil things didn't _always_ make you inherently evil. It just meant sometimes that you'd...lost your way. "That's not how these things are done, and, even if I could be happy, I don't know that the fates would allow it for very long." What Emma wanted to say was 'Fuck the fucking fates'. What she chose to do instead was stay silent and let Regina finish. "The last time I had that chance, it crumbled to dust in the blink of an eye. Happiness is a fleeting thing for me."

Was Regina...crying? Emma's eyes widened slightly as the brunette brushed at one of her eyes. "I can't keep talking about this tonight. The wine is making me weepy and a little needy, I think." She got up and started walking away. Emma wanted to chase after her, but what could she offer the woman? They weren't even close to that kind of stage of their relationship. Yes, relationship. "I think I'm going to go inside and to bed, if it's all the same to you?" Was she asking permission?

Emma wanted to offer _something_ of comfort. "We're not in the Enchanted Forest anymore. Maybe you _can_ have a happy ending." Regina didn't even turn around. She kept on. "Something to...think about. If you need me, I'll be right here." She would be, for the rest of the night. When the door shut, she called after her, "Goodnight, Regina." She wasn't sure if the brunette heard her, but she hoped...she hoped that it gave her something.


	16. September 9: Master Bedroom

_**Chapter 16**_  
_**September 9, Monday Morning**_  
_**Mayor's House, Second Floor**_

Wanting to be true to her word, Emma spent almost the entire night on the back porch, staring at the apple tree and occasionally rubbing at the spot where Regina's hand had entered her chest. Her heart felt a little foreign to her now, like it wasn't completely hers. Like it had given itself away without her permission. She wasn't sure that she liked the feeling. She grew more tired as the night went on, zoning in and out but never truly falling asleep. When the weather became too cold for her to bear in her shorts, she wandered inside. She settled in a chair in Regina's study, curling up as best she could and falling completely asleep at last.

She woke up in her bed with Henry standing next to her. He was talking about going to the park with she and Regina because they needed to volunteer to hand out candy to children. Emma was really confused as to why she was expected to hand out candy, but decided that if it was something Henry wanted her to do, she'd be all over it. She waved him out and...woke up in a chair? Hm. She must have gotten up and came down to head to the park. Everything felt fuzzy and slow to her. She looked around the study in confusion, and headed into the kitchen. That was odd...Regina wasn't around and it was nearly ten. She wandered through the house looking for her, and ended up outside her bedroom door. Clearly, this was where the brunette was hiding. Maybe she was hiding out after last night? "Reginaaaaaa!" she called out in a rather whiny tone, wondering why the other woman wasn't getting ready to go. It was unlike her to be late to anything. "Come on, we're going to be late! Are you ever going to come out of there today?" She pounded on the door. The fact that Henry was also nowhere to be found didn't even register with her. "Henry wanted to be at the park twenty minutes ago! Something about volunteering and stuff." She waited for Regina to answer.

"Miss Swan," Regina hissed through the door, and Emma was taken aback. What had she done? "It's Monday." Was it? She'd...sort of lost track. "Henry's been at school for two hours, and I've been up and have since returned to bed." Wait...what? Henry was at school? But he was just...she was just...what? "Stop banging on my bedroom door. Either come in here and speak to me like a civilized person, or go back to bed."

"I…" She blinked, staring at the wood of the door in front of her. "But he...what?" she asked in a confused tone. Wasn't he just in her room, asking her for things? "He was just...right here…" Emma turned and looked down each end of the hallway, as if Henry would be standing there, mocking her confusion. She'd have to go and look for him now. He had to have been right there, there was no other explanation for it. "I'll be right back," she huffed, heading down the stairs toward the living room.

Emma didn't make it very far. She was so tired, she just wanted to go to sleep. Thoughts of Henry forgotten, she sprawled out on the couch, falling asleep within seconds.

* * *

_**Later that Same Day: Afternoon**_  
_**Mayor's House, Den**_

"Wake up, Emma. You've been asleep on my sofa long enough. It's already noon," Regina called out sharply, and Emma jerked awake. The woman was standing over her and she looked up, blinking rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes. "Huh?" She shook her head a little bit to try to clear it. What was she doing on the couch? "When did I fall asleep on the couch? What time did you say it was?" She felt completely out of sorts and slid her hands roughly through her hair, tugging on it.

"Noon," Regina responded in an even tone while crossing her arms over her chest. "I realize this town doesn't often require the services of its sheriff, but i find it hard to believe that you aren't needed for _something_ at the station. Come on, get up." Emma closed her eyes and let her head fall back down momentarily with a groan. The only thing waiting for her at the station was paperwork, but she didn't need to let Regina know that. The woman had always loved giving it to her. In a softer tone, Regina continued, "Let's go to Granny's for lunch, my treat, and then you can actually go to work." Emma looked up at her with a questioning look on her face. Her treat? Like a date? "I have a few errands to run today," the brunette hastily added. That...didn't really explain anything, but Emma let it go anyway. She was getting to go out with Regina.

She scowled in thought though. Wasn't she supposed to be doing something at the moment? Why was she sleeping down here and not in her bed? "I was supposed do something...can't remember what, though." She shrugged as she stood up, brushing herself off as if she were dusty. Not that you'd find a bit of dust in Regina Mills house - unless Emma herself brought it in from outside. "Oh well. Lunch, you say?"

"I assume," Regina said, with a scowl and sharp tone, "you went off to see if Henry was in his room or at school. I have no idea how you wound up here, but yes, I did say lunch. I don't feel inclined to cook today." Emma shrank inside as Regina scowled at her. Couldn't the woman use some _other_ expression? "Before we leave, will you go fix your hair Ordinarily, I'd let you go out however you'd like, but you…" Okay, that was really crossing a line. Emma certainly wasn't about to go out looking like she did now. She did have _some_ sense of what was acceptable and what wasn't...Regina had _no_ right to treat her as if she were a child who couldn't take care of herself. She placed her hands on her hips and glared.

Of course, the only effect it had on Regina was to make her start almost laughing at her. "Oh, do stop scowling at me, Miss Swan. You look like a cow licked the backside of your head." Her irritation was rising. Emma hated being laughed at almost more than anything else. "I have a curling iron and plenty of hair products at your disposal to fix that. Now, please do."

"I'll stop scowling when you stop laughing at me!" she snapped back, but she became suddenly much less irritated when Regina bit her bottom lip. She looked so...cute. She tried to maintain her integrity though, she couldn't let on that Regina could make her less upset with certain looks. "I can't help the way I look in the morning," she continued, "You're a fine one to talk though, I saw the way your hair was sticking out every which way the other morning! And, was that a bit of _smeared makeup_ I detected leftover on your face?" Regina shook her head, of course, but Emma was determined.

"Yes, I think it was. Excuse me." She sharply pivoted and stalked out of the room. On her way, she called out, "I must prepare for the day."

When she was barely in the hallway, she heard Regina say, "Well. Someone's melodramatic this afternoon." She let out a little 'hmmph' as she headed up the stairs.

* * *

_**Later that Same Day: Afternoon**_  
_**Granny's Diner**_

They took separate cars to the diner, which Emma was grateful for, because driving with Regina made her nervous now. It wasn't that Regina was constantly speeding around, but that she...had an edge to the way she drove that just wasn't quite...it was unsettling. Emma could feel everyone staring at them as they walked toward Regina's table in the back, and she chose to believe it was because of her hair, which she'd deliberately overdone in what the town liked to refer to as her 'princess curls'. She ignored them, it wasn't worth the effort of even giving them notice. Honestly she had no intentions of ever leaving Regina's side no matter what happened between them, so the town was going to just have to get used to it in her mind.

Of course, Regina would take the seat that allowed her back to the wall. Emma tensed as she realized that she'd either have to sit next to Regina, or be uncomfor...well, either option would leave _her_ slightly uncomfortable the entire time. At least one of them should be comfortable. She slid into the space across from Regina instead. Ruby came over to take their order and stumbled over everything she said. Emma gave the woman her best 'really?' face. After all, Ruby had known about how things were progressing with Regina before anyone. What the hell?

Regina was looking around the room and Emma waited for her to pull her attention back to her. Finally, the other woman said, "Must they stare at us? It's as if they've never seen two people eat lunch before." Emma could tell it was making Regina more uncomfortable by the moment, and so she tried to be her normal, humorous self.

She grinned cockily and said, "They are staring at me." A smirk spread across Regina's face and Emma internally cheered in victory. "I look fantastic today. Don't let it go to your head." Regina rolled her eyes expectantly and Emma chuckled lightly.

"I admit, your princess curls _are_ a tad distracting today." Oh _really_? Emma would definitely file that little slip away for later. Unfortunately though, Regina just had to kill it. "But, that aside, it's not you they're staring at." She went to protest this obvious fact, but Regina cut her off, "I believe they're staring at _us_, which leads me to believe that waiter posted the picture he took of us last night." Emma closed her eyes and counted to ten. What she really wanted to do was borrow Gold's cane and beat the little shit. What she was going to do was...possibly borrow Gold's cane and beat the little shit. No no...then Gold would know and she'd owe him a favor and that just wouldn't do. She already owed him one favor and that was one too many.

Regina was looking through her phone by the time she was pulled from her dark thoughts about beating the little...toad. "Do you remember what his twitter account was? He threatened us with it…" Emma honestly couldn't remember for the life of her, but that didn't matter a moment later when Regina continued with "Never mind, I remember. I'm going to check it on my phone. Give me a moment." As if she had any other choice but to give her a moment. She stared down into her coffee and thought of creative ways to hurt the guy without using Gold's cane.

"Hmm…" she mused after a moment, "if he did I'll probably have to arrest him for blackmail. He could probably use a few nights in jail." An excuse to pay him a "visit". She thought about it for a moment. Why hadn't she just threatened to arrest him before? It must have been that she was so distracted by Regina. She voiced the thought. "If I hadn't been so distracted by you before, I could have done it then...still could." This made Regina glance up at her, and she asked, "Why didn't you just have me arrest him? Did he post it?"

Judging by the look on Regina's face, Emma guessed that he had. "Yes, with a caption that reads, 'Swan-Mills Date Night'. It's been retweeted 156 times already. I didn't realize this town had that many people _on_ twitter. Live and learn, I suppose." Emma shrugged lightly, she'd never been on the thing herself, since it required a computer, or a fancy phone...neither of which she'd ever bothered to have.

"Honestly, I don't know what's worse, the fact that he posted this picture despite my threats, or the fact your last name is first in the lineup. I suppose I should be thankful we at least look like a fetching couple. Take a look for yourself. What do you think?" Regina turned her phone around and showed her the picture, and Emma, who had been smirking before at the idea that Regina would be put out by her name being first, smiled broadly.

What did she think? She thought it was rather rude that someone would just assume they would hyphenate their last names, especially since Emma had never really felt particularly attached to a last name that someone else had given to her because they simply didn't know what else to call her. But that was a thought for...much much later, and something between Regina and herself. She also thought that the picture of Regina and herself sitting and looking pretty with smiles on their faces and candles and shared dessert between them looked exactly like what she imagined their first date should be. Well, she was pretty, Regina looked absolutely stunning. "We do look pretty good together," she offered after a moment of silence. She gave Regina a mischievous grin, "And honestly, Swan-Mills sounds so much better than Mills-Swan. If you put your name first, the S sounds clash, and it hurts the ears. It's just harmonics. Sounds like a snake got in the middle of it all."

Regina tossed her phone back in her bag. and huffed. "There's a snake, alright, but it has nothing to do with us." She took a sip of her coffee, and Emma had to bite back a laugh.

"What do you want me to do? Arrest him? Rough him up a bit?" All things she had planned for the day but she didn't want to let on to the former mayor. Plausible deniability, or something like that. She couldn't turn him into a toad like she knew the woman wanted. "I feel like," she began, trying to be rational, "if we ignore it, people will eventually get used to it and go about their lives. If we get mad and blow up about it, it'll give them that much more power, and then there will be more people taking pictures of us together." She could see Regina starting to object so she quickly added, "...and more problems for Henry. We have to just...remain calm." She thought about it and then to show that they really were in this together, said, "Even when I want to rip his head off his little pencil neck."

"I suppose you're right." Now that was something Emma wanted to hear Regina say over and over. "Calling attention to it will only serve to make it worse, but not saying anything at all in our defense indicates that we're agreeable to the assumption." Regina slid her cup to the end of the table, and Emma was surprised when Ruby didn't come and fill it right away. She looked around for the woman and saw her whispering with Leroy. She glared at them both. "Guilty through our silence, like pleading the fifth."

Emma was a little taken aback by this, and couldn't stop the hurt look that crossed her face in time. Wasn't that exactly what they were trying to do, though? See if this...could work? Weren't they...agreeable to the assumption? "Not that any of that matters, of course. I'm accustomed to being assumed guilty with no chance of pleading my innocence." It mattered to Emma. It mattered a great deal. "However, I would prefer that my private life, such as it is, remain just that, private. At some point, it would be nice if the entire world _didn't_ know everything about us, our family, and our love life." Emma couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face at Regina's words. "Why are you smirking?" the brunette asked, and Emma smiled broadly at her.

"Well, I was smirking because you said I was right." The expected eyeroll was starting to become cute to Emma. "But now I'm smiling because you said_ us, our_ family, and _our_ love life. I'm...well I can't stop smiling." That was true, she felt like the corners of her mouth were permanently upturned at the moment. Her heart was swelling in her chest at the idea that Regina might think of them as a..together. Even if it was only a little bit so far.

"Are we agreeable to the assumption?" Emma asked, needing to know what was going on in Regina's mind. She wanted to know how to handle this new publicity about their relationship. "If not," she offered, "We can make a statement otherwise. But not out of anger. Just something simple."

"I…" Emma waited and drank coffee while Regina sorted out her own thoughts. "Well you and I are not…" Emma braced herself with a rather long drink of coffee for rejection. She saw Regina wince and start again, "It's all rather complicated at the moment, and I really don't think…" Maybe not. She set down her coffee, folded her hands under the table in her lap, and waited patiently. She could be patient with Regina.

The brunette stopped talking and ran her hand over her face. Emma wanted to reach out and take her hand and reassure her that no matter what she'd be right here, but that would be the wrong thing to do for so many reasons. "Hmm," Regina said after a moment, "it would seem that, once again, you've put me at a loss for words." That seemed to be happening a lot. Emma was so hopeful that this would work out that she was willing to sit quietly and wait for Regina to work out whatever it is that she needed to work out...even if that meant that she rejected Emma. Even if it meant that Regina kicked her out of her life. Even if it meant...no, she couldn't think like that. She had to have faith in Regina. She had to leave the people that abandoned her in the past right now. Regina had yet to go backwards in their relationship...they kept moving forward.

Finally, Regina seemed to gather herself. "Emma," she began, "we're doing this backwards. Grant it, I've never really done this kind of thing before. As a very young woman, my marriage was, essentially, arranged, and Daniel and I didn't have the luxury of dating. Queens do not date. We take what we want. It's one of the perks of being royalty." Emma internally winced as she had the fleeting thought about how many people the Queen had simply...taken. Under the table, she shook her hands surreptitiously to shake off the thought.

Regina smiled at her almost apologetically. "Here, in Storybrooke, I had Graham for a time…" That brought the thought roaring back. She had to stop thinking about the Queen and just focus on Regina. She saw dismay and guilt flash across the woman's face and knew that she was seeing Regina and not the Queen. "And, then, of course, after the curse was broken, no one would so much as look at me, let alone consider something more." That wasn't entirely true. Emma was here. She was both looking at her _and_ considering much more than even her own brain wanted to think about for more than a flash. She opened her mouth to protest, but Regina held up her hand to ward her off. "The point I'm _trying_ and eloquently failing to make is that I understand two people are supposed to date _prior_ to living together. Isn't that how this all goes? I suppose, in answer to your question, I'm not _disagreeable_ to the notion, but I can't help but feel we're about to become a very large cliché."

"That's what people are supposed to do in _this_ world. Was it like that in your world? If marriage was arranged for you...then you didn't have a say in the matter at all." That was what Emma was trying to give to Regina. A fucking say in her own life, for once. For her to make all of her own decisions, without trying to get in the way. "Why don't you tell me what you actually want? Forget about this picture, forget about anyone in town, forget about what I would feel or what Henry would feel. What do you want?" She paused for a second and headed off what she knew Regina would say to avoid it, "And _don't_ try to weasel out of it by saying you can't forget about Henry's feelings this time."

Regina made a face. "Your habit of putting me into corners is rather distasteful, Miss Swan." Emma raised an eyebrow at her and she corrected, "Emma." She smiled, and Regina groaned, "Oh, whatever."

Regina pointed at her as she spoke. "You seem to be forgetting the entire reason you were pulled away from your parents, this town was cursed, and Henry felt like he was going insane is because all I've done for most of my life is do _exactly_ what I wanted." No, Emma would never _ever_ forget the reason that she grew up the way she did, now that she knew. She'd forgive Regina. But she couldn't...forget. Not yet. "I'm trying to be a better person, which means I should be taking into consideration other people's wants and needs." Regina shrugged and added, "At least, this is what the cricket tells me."

"And...honestly...I really don't know what I want anymore." Emma could understand the feeling of being lost and confused. She just wanted to be there while Regina figured it out. "For decades what I wanted was Daniel, even after he died. There were times when it looked possible I'd get him back, which is why Whale is here. He and I made an agreement, and then he lied to me." One more reason to hate Whale. Emma wanted to reach out and touch Regina for reassurance. For comfort. For...something, because the look on the woman's face was breaking her heart.

Regina continued and Emma felt the feeling of wanting to hug her only intensify. How much had this woman had to endure alone? "Did you know Whale did eventually resurrect Daniel? I kept Daniel's body perfectly preserved with a spell. He was entombed in my family's mausoleum, and Whale found him. He...he turned him into a monster." Regina closed her eyes, and Emma had to turn her hands into fists to prevent herself from reaching across the table to her. "My Daniel was in there, somewhere, but he was buried under an atrocity...a _thing_ that went on a murdering spree through town while you and your mother were trapped in the Enchanted Forest."

"I eventually had to remove the spell preserving his body to prevent him from hurting anyone else. He told me, before I removed the spell to…" Emma was twitching to get up and move over to her. It was obvious that she was about to lose it. Instead, she forced herself to remain in her seat, to not cause a scene that she knew Regina would hate. "I...I'm sorry. That's not what you asked me, is it?" Emma waited while she pulled herself back together as much as possible. "You want to know what I want?" the brunette rhetorically asked after a moment, her face falling as she spoke, "I want to be happy."

Emma softly replied, "If we weren't in public, and it wouldn't add to the rumors, I would hug the breath out of you right now." She gave her a serious look. "Expect that later."

Regina shifted at her words and said, "I'm not really a hugger. Physical contact makes me...uncomfortable." Emma shrugged, and had every intention of following through with her desire to hug the woman later.

"Thank you for being honest with me. If you think you can make a happy life here, one that includes Henry _and_ me, then I'm willing to try. If you don't think I'm adding to your happiness, then we'll just be friends. There's no need to add stress. Maybe we can find happiness together?" Emma hated the term happy with every fiber of her being, but she'd try for Regina. Her heart protested at the idea that she'd just be friends with Regina, but she stubbornly told her heart to shut the damn hell up. What did it know, anyway? Just last night it wanted to be ripped out.

She wanted to be as honest with Regina as the woman had been with her, though. "That said, I'd just like to point out I hate the term happiness. It sounds like a cliché." She scrunched her face up in disgust and continued, "Not to invalidate your feelings, but, if we screw up happiness somehow, that doesn't mean we failed and we get to run off. We gotta keep trying at it, and give it its best shot." She was glad to see that Regina was smiling at her.

"Emma, you...I find myself laughing for the first time in decades when you're around. Somehow, you manage to make me smile, mostly despite myself. I find that I care about what makes you happy, and, somewhere along the way, I stopped wanting to hurt you." Hurt her? Like...blow her up with a fireball hurt her? Punch her in the face hurt her? Or emotionally hurt her? There were so many unknowns in her words, so Emma just decided that Regina meant in all ways.

"If there's more to be found between us, time will tell. Right now, what we don't need is the prying eyes of the masses already judging us before anything can happen, but, then again, I've come to hate having to hide things away from them. It's tiring." Emma could relate to having to hide things, but she didn't think Regina would appreciate that particular story at the moment.

"I _do_ want to be happy, and I'm learning that happiness is something one must constantly work to achieve. At least, here, in this world, it is. What's the first step toward that?" Regina shrugged, and Emma didn't know what to tell her for a first step, either. It needed to be her decision, she felt. Too many people had dictated how things should be to Regina...it was time for the brunette to make the decision herself. "I'm not sure. Perhaps it's allowing a slightly clumsy, blonde sheriff with a persistent stubborn streak to sit beside me at this table and hug me in public?"

Emma could barely contain herself. A wide smile broke out across her face and she had to stop from jumping across the table in her excitement. "You like my stubbornness. I can tell." She slid out of her seat, moved to Regina, and took her hands, tugging her up. "Come here and prepare to be hugged like you've never been hugged before. Tell me when you need air."

Emma knew she was hugging Regina to comfort her, but she wasn't prepared for the emotional upheaval it caused in herself, especially when Regina awkwardly returned the hug. She heard gasps but didn't care. When was the last time either of them had been hugged like this? Even if it was awkward and weird and in public.

Emma had to say something dumb, quick, or she was going to tear up right here in public like some...emotional wreck. Over a _hug_. She said in her best stupid-happy voice, "Maybe this is the best beginning and ending all in one. The end of animosity, and the beginning of...something awesome."

Regina groaned and the moment was thankfully broken. "I said a _hug_," Regina explained, "I didn't say you could start a Hallmark Card business." Emma plastered on her trademark smirk but internally she was grateful for Regina's sarcasm. It grounded her emotions from getting away from her.

Regina pulled away from her and Emma let go immediately. She couldn't help but be amused at Regina's dirty look."Stop hugging me," the brunette snapped, "we've made enough of a scene." Emma looked around sheepishly and internally laughed at the shocked looks on everyone's face...except Ruby's. She was sort of glad, really. She wanted them to see that Regina wasn't completely untouchable like she knew most of them believed. She felt like they needed to see that she was human...and where Emma stood. "And you have a job to go to, don't you?"

Regina's reminder brought her mind fully back to what started this whole thing in the first place..._the little toad._ She smiled as Regina playfully pushed her shoulder and gave a mocking rendition of the Hallmark slogan, "I care enough to hug the very best." She looked woefully at her coffee for a moment and continued, "And yes, I have to go and take care of someone...thing. I have to go take care of _something_." Regina looked at her with approval but she didn't want to get into it further in case the townspeople had a fit. Heaven forbid they get all up in arms and think Regina was corrupting her somehow. "And patrol," she added, "And I need this coffee to go. I had some strange dreams last night, and I think coffee will fix it."

Regina led them to the register to pay for their meal, amidst stares and looks of confusion. The brunette said calmly, "If you do 'happen' to run into that waiter from the other night, remember that leaving marks is crass." Emma declined to say whether that was her intention or not. When Regina gave her a beaming smile, though, she felt warmed all over. She didn't want to ever get used to that feeling. Ruby handed Regina her coffee, and then the brunette turned to hand it to her in the most pleasant voice possible. "Have a good day at work, Emma. Henry and I will see you at home tonight." Emma knew she was putting it on mostly for the people listening in on them, but she couldn't help but feel so much lighter as she walked out of the diner with her coffee.


	17. September 9: After Dinner

_**Chapter 17**_  
_**September 9, Monday Evening**_  
_**Mayor's House, After Dinner**_

Emma needed to get more sleep. That was her only conclusion at the end of the day when she was heading home to Regina and Henry. Not only had she made a fool of herself in front of Henry and his classmates and even her...mother, but she'd been almost taken out by a couple of criminals...not that she'd admit that to _anyone_. She just wanted to go home, eat dinner and sleep. And see Regina. Actually, seeing Regina was at the top of her list...and seeing Henry was second. She wanted to be around her family.

She dragged herself in the door at last, later than she expected. Dinner was over, of course. Regina never waited for her. Would it be so bad for Henry to do his homework first and then eat? She just always felt like they were leaving her out. Like they just...didn't care. When she was thinking rationally, of course she knew that wasn't the case. Or at least, it wasn't _intentionally_ the case. She walked into the kitchen and found Regina there. Automatically, she settled onto her stool as Regina greeted her, "Hello, dear, I assumed you'd be late tonight, so I decided to make something less complicated." Emma tilted her head at this. Less complicated? That was unlike Regina. "I hope you're fine with homemade pizza. If not, dinner might be unpleasant for you tonight."

"Does the pizza come with beer?" Emma asked with a heavy sigh. She wanted to lay her head down on the kitchen island, but felt that she might never get up again. "I'm famished. Work was tiring today." And she was exhausted from only sleeping a..few hours? She'd lost track of how much she'd actually slept for the first time in a while. Regina started warming up pizza and she found she was even hungry for once.

Regina pushed a beer toward her with a smile and Emma felt better already. "Also, Henry's in the study finishing his homework." Ah, Henry. She was surprised he wasn't in here fawning over her after her display earlier that day. Trying to find out if she was okay, why she had come to see if he had been at home, and all that other crazy talk she'd been spouting off. Which, as the day went on, she'd come to realize had been a dream. "He…" Regina began, and Emma gave her a curious look. Obviously _something_ was up. "He asked about the rumors going around regarding the two of us. I told him we'd talk about it when you returned home tonight."

Oh. Well that was...normal, she supposed. Any one of the townsfolk that Henry interacted with on a regular basis could have asked him about it. And they would ask him about it in order to see if he'd 'give up the dirt' on them. Emma looked over to the oven where the pizza currently resided. "Well, let's talk about it while I eat." Regina took out the pizza and slid it in front of her, and Emma watched her every move carefully. "Did you explain anything to him at all?"

Regina sank down onto the stool across from her with a heavy sigh. "I honestly don't know what to tell him. I don't want to lie to him. I told him we were friends now, but I don't feel as though we have anything really definitive to tell him." Well, that was true. As much as Emma would like to say that there was a definite _more_ between them, she didn't feel like Regina felt the same way she did at all. Friends, definitely. Something more…well that was still being worked out. It wasn't like Regina was offering up her actual feelings on a tray for Emma's benefit. She just..hinted. Emma didn't want to guess at how Regina felt, either. "Perhaps we should ask him how he would feel about the idea of us being..._very_ close friends?"

Emma shrugged lightly, unwilling to give away her inner turmoil over how Regina may or may not feel about her. After all, these things took time. "We don't have anything definitive to tell him," she began in-between bites of pizza, "but he's very perceptive. I think he gets that from you." That caused a small smile on Regina's face which Emma claimed as a personal victory. "Also," she continued, "he's all about this notion of everyone having _one true love_ and all of that. Maybe we can tell him that we're exploring the idea of...being a family, as well as being very close friends. I mean, he did go all out on getting my parents together. He understands how romance works; he reads." Emma gave Regina a sly look, "And _not_ just that book of his." There was romance in comic books, after all. Long as he didn't grow up to read something trashy, she'd be okay with it.

Emma shoveled more pizza into her mouth and chewed. She declared, "This pizza is delicious. You're spoiling me for pizza."

"I don't know that I'm spoiling you," the brunette admitted, shifting uncomfortably on her stool, "You do realize that every food delivery service in this town refuses to deliver here, don't you? I learned to make pizza out of necessity after the curse broke. I'm still working on Chinese food…" Emma frowned at this. She was going to have to go around and have a talk with some of these people about who they did and didn't deliver to because she'd be damned if she was going to go without some of her favorite delivery services simply because she lived with Regina.

Clearly, Regina was trying to return to the topic at hand and blow off the uncomfortableness of the fact that the townspeople wouldn't deliver. "That's a good answer for Henry, actually. I think telling him we're trying to be a family is accurate without giving him anything more. I'm...impressed, Emma. I'd never have thought of that." Emma felt like she grew about ten feet when Regina praised her. It sent a warm feeling rushing through her.

"Maybe I need to go visit with some of our townsfolk," Emma said with narrowed eyes. Regina simply shook her head at her, but Emma wasn't going to let it go. She'd do it on her own time. "Are you working on real Chinese food, or the version that Americans eat? Because...you should definitely do both. And then I'll never be able to eat any of my favorite foods the same way ever again." Regina laughed at her, and Emma shrugged. It was the truth, probably. She loved to eat...maybe not _much_ at a time but she still loved to eat.

She took another drink of her beer and then set it down on the table. "I think we can tell him that and then give him more when there's something more to give. After all, he's the most important person in our lives. He should know first. We should try to at least give him that. Before all the town tells him." Before it's splashed in full color prints across all the checkstands at the local grocery store. That was what she wanted to avoid for Henry.

Regina nodded and said, "Then we should probably explain to him tonight that working on being a family means you and I might, eventually be more than frenemies because I'm certain there are photos all across the internet of us on our date last night and our little hugging session in the diner this afternoon." Emma was sure that Regina was right, but she smirked at the way the woman talked about their relationship without a bit of hesitation when she wasn't really thinking about it. "Why are you smirking again?" the brunette asked, which of course made Emma smirk all the more.

"You called it a date," Emma explained simply, "And here I thought I got all dressed up for nothing. Frenemies though?" She made a brief disgusted face at the word. "Really? I vote we never use that term again. Ever." She couldn't keep from smiling the more she thought about the way Regina had said it. Her grin only grew broader.

Regina, of course, gave a cute little frustrated huff, and grumbled, "I don't know what it is about you that is causing me to let things slip, but I'd like to know so I can prevent it in the future." Emma would rather she didn't. In fact, she'd actively make sure she didn't. "Yes, fine. It was a date. Are you happy?"

"If I figure out what it is about me that makes you let things slip, I'll be sure to let you know. Or at least, use it to my advantage." Emma gave her a suggestive look, which made Regina snort at her. "I'm...happ_ier_. I don't know that I'm happ_iest_. There are still some things I'd like to know, and some things I'd like to share with you, but all of those things take time."

"Well," Regina said, leaning back and crossing her arms, "if not frenemies, then what? Friends seems inaccurate, lovers is completely inaccurate - and probably damaging to Henry's psyche to think about, girlfriends makes us sound like teenagers, and partners makes us sound like we're in a business arrangement." Emma agreed with Regina on all accounts. She wouldn't have suggested any of those.

"What would you suggest? Companions?" Regina grimaced, and Emma shared the sentiment. Companions made them sound like they were both high class escorts or something. Or at least one of them way a high class escort...and Emma didn't have to guess which one of them would be playing that particular role. "God, this was far less complicated when I was queen. You were either a courtesan of mine or you weren't. It was simple. This?" Regina swung her arm in a grand gesture between them. "This reeks of complication. No wonder teenagers are awkward. Dating is full of confusion." Regina rolled her eyes again and Emma couldn't help but smirk at her again. "_Stop smirking at me like that!_"

"You know," Emma responded, not even bothering to try to stop smirking at her, "we could make it really simple. We could just be together. When people ask us what we are, we'll just respond with, 'We're together.' They don't really need to know more than that, do they?" She finished off the delicious pizza with a shrug, and then added happily, "And I'll _never_ stop smirking at you. Or maybe I will...when you stop making my heart jump. We're dating now, are we?"

Regina scrunched up her face and it made Emma laugh lightly. "You really _are_ a Charming, aren't you?"

Emma shrugged lightly and teased, "As long as you never expect that 'I will always find you' nonsense out of me...maybe." She winked as she took an exceedingly long sip of beer. They still had to talk to Henry, after all.

"You do," Regina spectacularly threatened, "and I'll personally set you on fire."

"Oh, _personally_ set me on fire." Emma responded dramatically, and then took another sip of her beer."Well, as long as it's personally."

Regina made an exasperated noise and grabbed her empty plate. "Are you done with your dinner? It's getting late, and we should go speak with Henry soon. I don't want him to be up all night wondering what we're going to talk to him about."

"Absolutely." Emma supposed it was better to get it over with sooner rather than later. And she really did want to get to sleep. "Let me drain this beer and we'll go." She lifted the bottle to her lips and chugged it down in just a few seconds. "It has nothing to do with moral courage. Nothing at all." No, she definitely wasn't afraid of an eleven year old boy.

Emma slid off her stool, deposited her bottle near the sink, and led the way into the study and towards Henry.


	18. September 9: Late Night

_**Chapter 18**_  
_**September 9, Monday Late Night**_  
_**Mayor's House, Second Floor Guest Bedroom**_

Emma was enjoying glorious sleep. After their talk with Henry, which had gone as well as it possibly could, despite his incessant need to know everything, she'd simply excused herself, stepped into her room, and stripped down, falling into clean, wonderful sheets. She'd been asleep within moments. She wasn't even dreaming. However, when knocking came at her door, she was awake immediately, even if it did take her a few minutes to work out what was going on. "Emma? Emma are you awake in there?" Well, she was now. She blinked and looked around. She realized she was completely naked and that it wouldn't do to open the door in this state. And something was clearly wrong because there was no way Regina would interrupt her sleep on a whim. She needed...pants.

Of course, she could never find pants when they were needed in an emergency. She snatched up her tanktop off the floor and slipped it over her head. "Please be awake," she heard through the door, and she realized in her haste to actually answer the door, she had forgotten to respond to the obviously distraught woman outside of it.

"Regina?" Emma called tentatively, "Hang on, I'll get dressed." Where the hell were her _pants_? She tore around the room in the dark, feeling her way and trying not to bump into any furniture and injure herself. Finally, she gave up, grabbed a pair of underwear from the dresser and pulled them on, rushing to the door. She yanked it open and gave the brunette on the other side a concerned look. She could see immediately that Regina had been crying; there were tear tracks not quite wiped away on her face. "What happened?" she asked, and the question caused the woman to retreat. She couldn't allow that, not now when she'd come to her for...something. Help? Comfort? Companionship? Emma couldn't let her run off now. She reached out for Regina's arm and pulled her gently into the room, shutting the door behind them. "Come in! Are you okay?"

Regina shifted back and forth and Emma watched her curiously. "Nothing's wrong." Emma didn't have to use any special ability to know that was a lie. Just the fact that she'd come to her door in the middle of the night meant something was wrong. What had she said before? Nothing short of an angry mob would drive her to wander in in the middle of the night? "I just...I couldn't sleep, and I thought you might be awake. I know it's past midnight, and…" Emma backed away from her to give her space to work out whatever it was she was wrestling with. "I'm sorry. It's not really important. Please, go back to bed. I think I'll just go read for a bit." No way was she going to be able to sleep now knowing that Regina was awake and troubled. Emma would worry about her.

She took Regina's hands and pulling her further into the room before the brunette could run off. "No, I was awake, I swear," she lied. So she only got a little bit of sleep for another night. It wasn't like it would kill her. Regina was far more important than sleep. "Come in and sit with me, okay? Tell me why you couldn't sleep?" She led them to the bed and sat down, patting the space next to her as an invitation. Emma was concerned. She knew that Regina sometimes had sleepless nights, but seeing it now made her...feel very protective. She didn't want the brunette to have to experience what she went through, even if it was only one night in ten, or one in fifty...or ever.

Regina answered quietly and Emma hung on her every word. "Those who carry a great deal of history rarely sleep well. I'm afraid my subconscious has insisted that I recall pieces of my past that I'd rather not revisit, but, as you know, it's nearly impossible to control one's dreams." Emma knew that all too well. She'd tried hundreds of different ways before giving up and just accepting her fate. And her memories. Ironically, it had been almost easier to have the nightmares than to go through some of the stuff she'd tried in order to get them to stop.

She nodded in response to Regina's statement and looked up at the brunette who was still standing over her instead of settling on the bed. "I do know that," she began, "Want to tell me about it? Or do you just want to sit here with me and we'll talk about something else until we fall asleep? Either way is fine with me. But if we are going to sit here until we fall asleep, I'm going to suggest we lie down instead." There was no sense in not being comfortable...and maybe if Regina was more comfortable, she'd relax a bit. Emma could almost see the tension radiating off the woman. Or at least, she imagined she could almost see it. The brunette raised her eyebrows in response, and Emma squirmed a bit. She hoped that Regina didn't think there was anything more to her words than just laying there. "As...awkward as that may be. Or maybe not. Up to you." She glanced at the bed cautiously, as if it would somehow injure Regina further...or make things worse. After all, she had no idea what had upset the woman. What if it had to do with sleep itself?

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'd like to lie down, either way." Emma watched as Regina slid onto the bed on top of the covers. "But please give me a little space. I don't think I can handle being touched without forewarning right now." Oh. _Oh_. It was one of those kinds of demons. Emma knew about those demons. She immediately got up and moved around the bed to the other side.

"Well," she said quietly, "there's certainly plenty of room on the bed to lie down without touching you." She pulled the covers back, suddenly a bit chilled in the air of the room. "Here. I'll move to this side, and you can have all the space you need."

Emma settled in to the other side of the bed, and waited patiently for Regina to tell her about whatever demon was eating away at her. Emma wondered if it would ever be possible to slay all of them. She supposed that it would be...her job to help, wouldn't it? Since she was the savior and all. She'd gladly do it, but she knew that it would likely take an entire lifetime. "Even if I wanted to talk about it," Regina said hoarsely, "I'm not sure that I could. It's all very…" If she said the word complicated Emma wasn't sure what she might do. Probably nothing now, but later...when they weren't all strung out…

"Emma, I've done some truly despicable things in my life." Emma wanted to protest. So had she, after all, and really, what did it matter now? Regina was looking at her sadly and she wanted to find some way to take that sadness away. "There's no over exaggeration in that statement, but I wasn't always that way, and the things I dream about are not things that I've done. They're things that were done _to_ me or things I simply had to endure." Emma balled her fists up at her sides. She knew it was unlikely that she could kill the people that had harmed Regina. One, many of them were probably already dead, and two...death wasn't a real punishment for that sort of crime. She wanted to protect Regina from anyone that would harm her...past, present, or future. What did that say about her? "And I'm not certain you truly want to know. I feel as though you've learned enough negative things about your family and relations without adding my intimate details to the mix."

She shifted underneath the covers as she willed her body to relax. This wasn't about her. This was about being there for Regina. She could think about revenge and death and violence later. In her best reassuring voice, she said, "Listen, I can't change who my family is. What I can do is listen. I can be here and support you and listen. I'm not going to feel any differently about you than I do now just because of something you tell me. And honestly, you shouldn't worry about what I've learned about my family. I want to know about you, and if that means I learn something negative about them, then so be it." That would be something for her to work out in her own time. "Please, Regina," she begged.

"I…" Regina trailed off, and Emma waited patiently for her to organize her thoughts. They had all the time in the world and there was no need to push the woman before she was ready. Finally, Regina started telling the story. "Emma, you know I married the king when I was eighteen, and you know it was a forced marriage. I never wanted to be the Queen. I wanted to be happy, to be with Daniel. But you know what happened there." Actually, she only knew parts of that story, but it was enough to know that it wasn't pleasant. She wasn't going to pry into that one right now, but she certainly filed it away for later.

"Being married in the Enchanted Forest meant you had certain duties you were expected to perform as a woman, and, as Queen, my duties were…" Emma closed her eyes against the rush of emotion that washed over her. Anger, outrage, and a profound sadness that anyone would _dare_ to..to treat Regina like...anything less than an incredibly special woman. "much greater. I…" Emma had a really difficult time not reaching out to Regina. She stifled her urge. "The king…" The demon. Emma's heart twisted in her chest. She opened her eyes and looked over at Regina.

As Regina spoke her voice grew softer and more emotional. Emma listened quietly, turmoil in her chest as her heart tore for the other woman. "Daniel was my first love, but we never did anything more than share a kiss." Emma began to feel a little ill as thoughts of a faceless king with his hands roughly taking exactly whatever he wanted from Regina floated through her mind. "The king wanted a son." Emma held her breath and then slowly let it out, releasing her anger again.

She was quiet for a bit, wondering if Regina was going to keep talking. After a while when the woman didn't say anything, Emma assumed that she was lost in her memories. She broke the silence, quietly saying, "That must have been awful." That was an understatement of how Emma really felt about what it must have been like for Regina. She felt compassion for what the woman went through. She felt outrage that Regina had to simply _endure_ something like that. It made her wonder if if would be a problem between them, if they ever...well she just wouldn't ever treat Regina like anything close to that. She'd make sure to always treat her like...like the Queen she should have been treated as all those years ago. "Anything else? I mean, you don't have to tell me any more unless you want to. I'm just here to listen."

Regina chuckled and it was unlike anything she'd ever heard before. Emma winced at the woman's tone. "Awful is an understatement. Horrifying and life scarring would be more accurate." Again, Emma wanted to just care for and protect Regina. She didn't even care about the fact that it was a member of her family that she was learning about. If anything, it made it that much worse in her mind, that someone in her family tree was capable of something so disgusting.

As if Regina was reading her thoughts...or maybe just continuing her story, she explained, "Your grandfather wasn't a bad man, but he was king, and he never stopped loving your grandmother." She found it interesting that Regina connected her so easily to people that she never felt connected to in her life. Family members that she'd never even thought of. "I was just a placeholder for her and someone to care for Snow. Never part of his family, never received by the people, constantly reminded of what I wasn't and _who_ I wasn't along with having to do my 'wifely duties' and deal with the pain of losing Daniel to Mother's insanity…" Emma knew the feeling of not being part of someone's family very well. How many families had she been on the outside of?

"Some teenagers' drama circled around what clothes they got to wear. Mine circled around surviving to live another day without trying to kill myself or someone else," Regina said after a heavy sigh. She had turned to look at Emma once again, the look in her eyes compelling in a way. Emma just wanted to hold her and hide her away from the world forever. When she said she wanted to kill herself, Emma's heart twisted again. She had never been so glad in all her life that Regina was...alive. "You see how well that went," Regina added with a frown, and Emma knew that she was referring to the people she killed as the Queen, but somehow she didn't, _couldn't_ think about that part of Regina at the moment. She rolled onto her side to face Regina, so she could see her better.

Emma wanted to protest, but Regina wasn't finished. "Do you see why I don't want to tell Henry about my past? Besides the death and destruction, I think learning about his great grandfather through my eyes wouldn't be fair to him." Her tone was slightly pleading and Emma thought she understood what Regina was trying to say. It felt a little bit like Regina both didn't want to tell Henry about members of his family and their more evil history, and also that she didn't want Henry to see her as someone broken. Someone who had been...a victim. "I can't do that to him," the brunette finished.

"I can understand why you don't want to tell Henry about your past," Emma said with a reassuring smile. She wanted Regina to see that Emma really cared about her. That she wanted what was best for both of them...all of them. "Whatever you want to tell Henry, or me, is your decision. I'll always be here, and I certainly know that not all members or one's family are good." Nor all the members of one's foster family.

Regina sighed heavily once again and sat up. "Unfortunately, so does Henry."

"You know that you'll always be part of my family, Regina, no matter what happens," Emma said warmly. Since Emma was used to spouting off clichés at the drop of a hat, she thought of the 'blood is thicker than water' phrase. Since she didn't grow up with any blood relatives, she was more inclined to think that experiences with people mattered. She believed that the character of a person mattered. That intimacy mattered, and that above all, it was a choice. "And there won't ever be any 'wifely duties'. I'd never touch you without your permission." She didn't want anything about their relationship to ever turn into something they did out of 'duty' or obligation. She watched as Regina relaxed at last, as if years of tension bled out of her and into the air of Emma's room.

"Hmmm, no 'wifely duties'? I wasn't aware we were far enough along in whatever this is to start discussing the need for wifely duties, Miss Swan." Regina raised an eyebrow at her as she spoke and Emma's brain felt like it went into shock.

She blushed deeply and stuttered as she spoke, trying to explain what she actually meant. "Er...uh...well you see...I...um…" She couldn't make a full sentence.

The smug look that grew across Regina's face was totally worth it. "Well, it's about time that happened." Emma smiled and shook her head back and forth slowly. "Relax, dear, I'm not suggesting anything tonight. But," Regina paused, and Emma watched the smug look fall into something much more vulnerable. "would you mind if I just lie here a bit? I'm not ready to be alone yet." Emma was a little surprised at the request. She didn't expect the brunette to admit that she...needed something from Emma. Even if it was only for a little bit.

She cleared her throat and smiled gently at the woman. She wanted to offer more than just lying next to each other separated by a wide expanse of mattress. She wanted to wrap the woman up in her arms and hold her for the rest of the night. But it had to be Regina's decision. "Absolutely," she said softly, "You can lie there, or…" she lifted her arm up in invitation, "if you want you can lie over here _with_ me." She tried to shrug lightly, but she was sure her emotions were splashed across her face as they always were. "Entirely up to you."

"I don't…" Regina began while shaking her head, but she slipped off the bed anyway. She came over and stared down at Emma. Regina untied her robe and set it on a nearby chair. Even with the serious topic at hand, Emma couldn't help but notice how goddamn beautiful the woman was. "Okay," the brunette said, and Emma noted the little bit of warning in her voice. Warning for what? To not try anything? To not touch her anywhere inappropriately? To not be _too_ close? "But, if anyone asks, I am always the big spoon. This never happened." Okay but why did she have to say things like that at at time like this? Now Emma could think of nothing but Regina holding _her_ instead. She found she...really liked the idea. It would keep for a later time.

Emma moved closer to Regina, burying her face in her hair and breathing in the woman's scent. She closed her eyes and pressed as close as she dared to the other woman. "As if I would ever talk about our bedroom activities with anyone. I'm just.." she trailed off softly, cautiously moving her arm to wrap around Regina's waist and tug her slightly closer against her, "gonna put my arm here, okay?"

Regina whispered almost too soft for her to hear, "I trust you, Emma." It made her press closer to the woman. It took her a while to drift off to sleep, but when she did sleep, it was peacefully.


	19. September 10: Guest Bedroom

_**Chapter 19**_  
_**September 10, Tuesday Morning**_  
_**Mayor's House, Second Floor Guest Bedroom.**_

Emma woke up to someone touching her. It was startling, since the last time she'd slept with anyone was forever ago. There were hands in places she didn't expect hands to be, and a voice in her ear. "Emma, Get up! It's 7:30 in the morning." Her first reaction was to tighten her hold on whomever was underneath her, as if they were attacking her and she didn't want to let them get away. "Henry's going to be late for school. You're going to be late for work. It's only Tuesday and you're going to be late for work two days already." Her groggy brain began to recognize the voice berating her for...being on them? "Emma. For God's sake, wake up, and get off of me." A hand touched her shoulder and shook her and she realized that it was Regina. Oh, right. They'd fallen asleep together the night before. Well, she'd fallen asleep _holding_ the brunette. "We need to get up!"

"Stop wiggling, Regina," Emma responded in her hoarse morning voice. In an attempt to be playful she added, "You're touching places I don't think you want to be accidentally touching." Not to mention that Emma really didn't want to be a raging ball of hormones this early in the morning.

Regina rolled her eyes and struggled to get away from her even more. Emma wasn't quite prepared for the hurt that lanced through her. "Oh, please, Emma, it's not as though you have anything I do not." Regina shook her again and Emma began to get angry. If Regina thought she could come in in the middle of the night and _use_ her and then rush off in the morning as if it meant nothing...she was going to have a rude awakening.

"Hey!" she said, opening one eye, "It's different, okay! When you touch me…" Emma trailed off when Regina glared at her. Apparently the woman did really want to get away from her. She sighed in exasperation and shoved the covers off of them roughly. Fine. If that was the way the brunette was going to be, she could be the same way. "I'm getting up!" she snapped. "I'm not late, I'm working a later shift so I can meet Ruby for a thing. Okay, a humiliating thing. If you want, you can come and watch me." Why did she say that? She didn't want Regina to come and watch her do something stupid for the town! She winced and added, "I'm not...exactly sure what she has in mind yet."

Regina just continued to glare at her, which really made Emma annoyed. She sat up and threw the covers completely to the end of the bed. She frowned, looking away from the woman toward the wall. "Decide while you go get Henry," she muttered, "I can see your desire to go in your eyes." More like her desire to get away from Emma.

Regina actually stopped and turned back to her, which made Emma pause in her thoughts. "I don't want to go, but Henry's going to be late for school if we don't get up _right now_." Okay, so it was about Henry, and not her. She could try to wrap her head around that. Regina got out of bed quickly with a sigh and Emma tried to rally her hurt and anger into something else. Something more stable. The brunette commented as she moved, "We'll discuss what Ruby Lucas has in store for you after I get Henry to school." Emma found it interesting that Regina could call some townspeople by their first names and not others. It was...something to ponder later. Regina turned to her before she walked out and smirked. "Try not to burn the house down while I'm away. I have cereal in the pantry."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Regina. "I'm not going to _burn the house down_," she huffed, "I did manage on my own for many years, you know." And she knew how to cook a number of things that Regina had no idea about. Okay, so it wasn't like she could just go into a kitchen and throw together things and feed people, but she managed. "I'll see you when you get back. Tell Henry I lo…" She had to force the word out. "..ve him." It was an extremely awkward domestic moment to her. Sure, she could tell Henry to his face that she loved him, but to tell Regina to tell Henry? It reminded her of watching her foster parents tell each other to give their love to someone else. It was a step forward in their relationship that she wasn't quite sure she was ready for, but she decided to go for it anyway. "Yeah. Tell him that."

Thankfully, Regina didn't mock her, or chastise her, or get angry at her, or really, anything at her for the awkwardness of the word. Instead she simply gave her a reassuring smile, which made her feel warmer all over, and said, "I'm sure he would tell you the same in return. I'll see you soon, Sheriff." Emma was so focused on the awkwardness between them a moment ago that she didn't even notice when Regina called her by her title rather than by her name. She got up, searching for her goddamn pants that she couldn't find the night before.

* * *

**_Later That Same Day: Tuesday Morning_**  
**_Mayor's House: Kitchen_**

The key to sliding around on a tiled kitchen floor was the right pair of socks and no shame at the possibility of being caught. Emma had found this perfect combination in her fuzzy socks. This particular "pair" of socks was one bright yellow and one dark red sock. She'd held onto them forever and couldn't even really remember where they came from, as if they'd just showed up in her possessions one day and she'd never had the heart to get rid of them. And though she'd never admit it to anyone, she'd even fixed them a couple of times. She now only used them for sliding around the kitchen.

She was learning her way around Regina's kitchen very slowly, but she could find enough to make a stack of pancakes. And, Emma could even make Regina's coffee in the annoyingly fancy way that the woman loved it now. She slid around the kitchen, preparing all of these things before Regina returned from taking Henry to school. She also wanted to make sure to finish _before_ the woman returned so that Regina didn't catch her sliding around on the floor. She could only imagine how _that_ conversation would go. Something about being uncivilized, she was sure.

Emma put a giant stack of pancakes on a plate, set the island for two, and poured coffee just in time to hear Regina walk in the door. She slid onto her stool and waited. When Regina came into the kitchen and stood at the door and looked her over, it was quite possibly the most self-conscious moment she'd had in a really long time. She didn't dare look down at herself, but she knew she looked a little ridiculous in her fuzzy socks and her pants that were too short- she'd pulled them out of a bin at a Goodwill store- and a tank top that was getting a little worn through in places. She wanted to squirm on her stool as she felt Regina scrutinizing her, but she waited for the woman to come in and say something, instead.

Finally, Regina walked in and sat down on her stool at the island. Emma breathed out heavily in relief, and smiled at the woman. "You made pancakes?" The suspicious glance that the brunette gave to the kitchen as she spoke wasn't surprising in the slightest. "And nothing's burned? The house is still standing? I don't believe it. How on earth did you manage to get dressed, to Granny's, pick up an order, and make it back here in the time it took me to get Henry to school?"

Emma rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "Your faith in me is _astounding_." She shook her head slowly with a smile and began dividing pancakes between them. "You know, I can make _some_ things." Emma pushed a plate over to Regina. She knew that she probably made way too many pancakes based on how much the brunette would actually eat, but Emma could probably stand to eat..more. She was so used to not having enough that it was weird sometimes still that she could eat all she wanted without having to think about when her next meal might be, or if it would be delayed somehow. It was hard to break over ten years of habit. "Here, eat. They're delicious," she proudly declared. Because really, how could you screw up pancakes?

Regina actually began to eat after saying, "Thank you," and it made Emma feel delighted all over. Even if the woman didn't acknowledge that the pancakes were delicious, she was just happy to be able to do something for her...Regina. "So tell me about this arrangement you've made with Ms. Lucas. How did it come about, and what, exactly, was agreed upon?" Emma regretted including Regina in her plans all over again.

"Well…" Emma began, shifting on her stool and scrunching her face up in a bit of embarrassment, "basically, she comes over to watch Henry once a week. I have to go around town doing the dirty jobs that no one else wants to do for themselves. Today I'm cleaning up trash in the streets, because, for some reason, now that everyone's remembered who they are, they seem to think it's okay to just throw things everywhere. And it hasn't been addressed yet." Actually, nothing had been addressed in the town except 'Don't kill the 'evil' queen.' and 'don't kill each other'. Those were things that Emma enforced stringently. The city was barely truckin' along.

"If I were still mayor, that wouldn't be an issue." Emma had the random thought that technically, Regina was still the mayor. And technically, she should be running the town. And technically, according to the real laws of _this_ world, the townspeople hadn't...gone about due process in order to oust the 'former' mayor. Those were a lot of technicalities that she thought she...might be able to overcome. "We have a street cleaner. People have always thrown things into the street, but that's why there's a sanitation system set up for the town." Wait...what? Then why the hell did Ruby need her to do that sort of thing? "Honestly, _who_ is running things right now? I may have been kicked out of office, but I left with the town in good standing." Not technically kicked out of the position, just physically removed...Emma's mind was working through the problem even as she focused on the indignity at hand. "Are your idiotic parents letting it all fall apart?" Probably, yes. But she wouldn't call them idiotic. Just...not educated in running a town. One was a teacher, and the other was in a coma for twenty eight years. What did they expect to know about running a town?

First things first. She blinked at Regina. "We...have a street cleaner?" When Regina simply nodded at her and sipped at her coffee she felt like the biggest idiot. Now to fix the problem. "Hmm. Maybe I should call a meeting. Maybe it still runs, and Ruby just can't think of anything else for me to do? I should talk to Sn..my mother." The word felt foreign in her mouth. She was trying to...be a family with them but maybe that was a little too much.

"I _can_ be of use," Regina reminded her in a slightly irritated tone and with a now-patented eyeroll. "When you talk to Ms. Blanchard, please tell her that I am more than happy to instruct her on how to run my town." Emma began to form a different plan in her mind. But how to get people to come around to the idea? She'd have to do some careful planning. "As if it weren't bad enough that I've been regulated to the far corner, now they're allowing my town to go to pot. What's next? They'll allow a Wal-Mart to move in?" Emma didn't think a Wal-mart would be so bad. That used to be the only store she shopped at. Regina shuddered and added, "That's so tacky," and Emma thought that maybe she shouldn't ever mention to Regina that most of the things she owned came from that store.

Emma did laugh at Regina's look of complete disgust at the idea of a Wal-mart moving in. She commented thoughtfully, "As if there's enough business in…" She trailed off, however, when she considered the greediness of the corporation. "Actually, a Wal-mart would probably move in regardless." Emma's eyes widened slightly as Regina went into a little rant about supporting small business and the like. She gave the woman an apologetic look, sorry she'd even said anything in response at all. "Uh...I'll pass that along. Actually," she began, "maybe I'll skip meeting Ruby and go directly to Mary Margaret. Snow." Mother. Whoever the fuck she was. Emma wished that the woman would just tell her what she'd like to be called so she could begin working on the issue instead of just guessing. She shrugged it off and decided she better get a move on if she was going to get anything done today.

"I won't be home in time for your usual dinner time," Emma said, sliding off her stool. She knew that Regina wouldn't wait for her, so she headed off her own feelings by saying, "You don't need to wait for me. See you tonight!" For a brief moment she hesitated, wondering if she should go in for the hug that she wanted to give the woman before she left. Emma decided to go for it, because what the hell. She slid over to Regina in her fuzzy socks, hugged the woman quickly, and walked out of the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear.


	20. September 10: Kitchen

_**Chapter 20**_  
_**September 10, Tuesday Evening**_  
_**Mayor's House, Kitchen**_

After her less than thrilling conversation with her parents which, after they decided to have a town meeting about what to do, mostly devolved into another 'What are you _really_ doing over there in that house with the Evil Queen?' session, Emma decided that it was probably a better idea for her to lock herself away in the Sheriff's station unless a real emergency came up. She settled at her desk behind the giant stack of paperwork that was threatening to topple over by this point and didn't get up again except for coffee and to pee until it was completely gone. Her hands were shaking a bit by the time she was done from all the writing that she did, but it was worth it to have it completed so she could ignore it again for a while.

Emma frowned and looked at the stack. Who was she going to give it to now that no one was really running the town? Mary Margaret? She wouldn't know what to do with the paperwork except maybe put a gold star sticker on it and hand it back. She couldn't give it to Regina, either because, well, that would just be like rubbing salt in the wound. Maybe she could get Regina her job back, somehow. She decided to just hold on to it until something new happened with the town. Emma glanced up at the clock on the wall and gasped. It was almost eight! When she told Regina she'd be late for dinner, she didn't mean she'd be _this_ late. She gathered her things quickly, closed up the station, and headed for the mayor's house.

It was strange, walking into the house and having an extreme urge to call out 'Honey, I'm home!'. Emma refrained, of course. it wasn't really her...home yet, though she supposed technically it was since she really didn't have another. But having a place to stay and having a home...she shook her head lightly and walked into the kitchen.

Regina was there to hand her a beer as soon as she walked in and sat down. That was oddly...domestic of her. Emma felt something inside of her soar at the notion of coming home every day to this sort of thing. Or, alternatively, waiting for Regina to come through the door. Their new thing was extremely...pleasing. It made up for the rest of the day. She did still feel drained though, and sank heavily onto her stool. "I'm going to assume your conversation with Mary Margaret did not go well. Would you like something to eat, or are we drinking dinner tonight?"

She guiltily realized that she hadn't even said hello as she came in, just grabbed for the beer and sat down without a word. The thought made her slump down on her stool at bit more. Regina deserved better than that. She sighed and responded, "The conversation was...interesting. We're going to have a town meeting or something. She's working it out." That was what they had agreed on, right? Before they had decided to grill her about her new friendship? A friendship that was so much...more than what they even knew. "I spent the rest of the day catching up on paperwork," she added, holding up her hand and showing Regina how weak it was by trying to make a fist. "I think my hand cramps have cramps. Look." She dramatically held up her beer, deliberately letting it slide from her hand a bit. "I can barely hold this beer." She set the beer down again, was pleased to see Regina was actually worried she would drop it as the woman looked relieved.

Of course, then the brunette was smirking at her and, in a mocking tone, saying "Oh, you poor dear. I'm sure you'll survive." Considering that Regina was always on top of Emma about getting paperwork done on time, she couldn't be surprised that the woman didn't care one bit that she had a ton to do now.

Regina sat down across from her and Emma took a moment to just look at her. She felt a sort of awe at just the way the woman sat. Unlike Emma, Regina didn't seem to be sinking into the stool. Instead, it was like the stool rose up to meet her, as if it was grateful just to have her sitting on it. Regina looked regal, looked _beautiful_ even with her elbows on the kitchen island. Emma felt that she could stare into her eyes for hours and come up wanting more. "I wonder what Snow is planning for this town meeting?" Of course, that is, when Regina wasn't ruining it by mentioning her mother. The brunette pointed at her with a smirk and narrowed eyes and Emma blanched. Was she about to yell at her for staring? "If she pulls out a chart of chores for each town member, I am allowed to laugh hysterically." Emma was relieved she wasn't being yelled at, and amused by Regina's tone, especially when the woman leaned back and crossed her arms defiantly. "You cannot stop me from it." Emma would likely join her if it came down to it.

She chuckled lightly behind her beer bottle and took another sip, and Regina continued with another eye roll. "Honestly, having you literally clean the streets of Storybrooke is a waste of your talents. It'd be far better to have you track down some of our still missing residents." Emma gave her a curious look, and kept listening. She didn't know there were residents still missing. Or at least, she hadn't remembered. "For example, I had you looking for Potter Weatherly prior to the curse breaking. Did you ever find him?"

Emma had completely forgotten the guy even existed. She gave Regina a guilty look. "Uh...no. That kind of got lost with all the curse breaking and then trying to keep our residents from killing each other," she groaned as an excuse, "...and now spending most of my time trying to see what Gold is up to." Okay it _was_ an excuse for why she had forgotten, but not really an excuse for why she shouldn't have been doing her job.

In a move completely unlike Emma, she got up and walked to the sink to rinse out the bottle and toss it in the recycling bin after finishing her beer. She turned around and folded her arms over her chest, and decided that Regina's consistent griping at her about the beer bottles over the past few days must have been finally sinking in. The thought made her smile, and she said, "I like our new...togetherness." She blushed as she continued, honesty spilling from her unexpectedly, "It gives me something to look forward to coming home to." Emma looked away from Regina at the end of her comment, the truth and emotion of the moment being just too much for her.

Regina didn't even comment, which Emma found rather...well she wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. Maybe Regina didn't feel the same way? It was Emma basically invading her space, after all. The brunette just plowed right back on into the Weatherly issue. "And I would like it if you actually managed to find Mr. Weatherly. I didn't have you looking for him _just_ because i was trying to make your life difficult, though that was an added bonus." Good to know Regina enjoyed making her life difficult. Not that Emma didn't know that already. "Before the curse, he was one of the lead knights for your mother's army. I saw him once after the curse, and then he disappeared, which I thought odd considering." Emma thought that would be pretty odd, considering the curse was designed to keep people reliving the same day over and over again. How had one of them escaped? "It made me wonder what was happening in my town that I didn't know about, which led me to believe there was some danger of which I was unaware."

Emma wondered when the last time it was that Regina actually felt the need to explain her actions to anyone, least of all to her. She gave orders...she didn't explain the reasoning behind them. It felt..weird. New. She'd have to find the man, now. "I'll find him," she declared, "Finding people is…" Emma cut herself off with a look of disgust. Damn her parents and their incessant need to declare their feelings for each other _constantly_. "What I do," she finished quickly. "I used to be so proud of that," she grumbled, "Now that I hear that stupid phrase all the time I can't stand the idea. Also, I find it hard to imagine anything in Storybrooke that you would have been unaware of. Except of course where I was concerned."

Regina waved her hand in a brush off and commented in a bored tone, "Our new togetherness? Yes, it is nice to know that the likelihood of the person coming to my home to see me actually wants to spend time with me as opposed to burn me at the stake has increased." Emma was a little taken aback by her words, one that she clearly marked it as _her_ home, and two that she would put Emma into some strange comparison to someone that wanted to burn her at the stake. "It's," the brunette shrugged, "refreshing."

Emma tried to keep her voice light, tried to keep her normal humorous tone after what felt like a slap in the face. Maybe this was just how Regina would always be, Emma would say something that was nice, and Regina would slap it down somehow. "Not everyone wants to burn you at the stake, you know." She couldn't quite keep herself from sounding...annoyed or something. Not what she was going for, that was certain. "Some of them want to hang you, shoot you, bash you over the head, tar and feather you, etc." She was going for funny but it just didn't work out.

It earned her some rolled eyes and a dry, "Because that's so much better, yes." Regina stood and Emma was half afraid that she was going to walk off and never speak to her again, that she'd gone too far. Instead, Regina pulled something out of a drawer in the island and brought it to her. Emma looked down at it as Regina handed it to her, and studied it carefully. "Tomorrow I'm scheduled to see Doctor Hopper in the morning," she began, and Emma noted that she actually called him by his name. Emma had embarrassingly enough found herself referring to him as 'the cricket' in her own private thoughts. She'd _never_ let Regina in on that little secret. "Would you mind taking Henry to school?" Regina pointed to the schedule and all of the appointments that she still had. Emma looked over them all, thinking that Regina was probably extremely bored compared to before. "For the record, I have a standing appointment with Hopper every Wednesday morning."

Knowing that Regina went to a therapy appointment every week and knowing that Regina went to therapy every week were two entirely different things, and Emma was coming to realize this in that moment. It was like before the idea that 'Regina goes to see Dr. Hopper' was just a vague, passing thought that she generally had, and then forgot about. But now that it was here and in her face, she couldn't just brush off the notion that this was something Regina was actually doing. She was actually spending time working on her past issues every week and here it was written out in black and white. Emma was...well she felt a whole lot of things that she wasn't quite sure she was ready to think about.

Instead, she cheerfully responded, "Of course I can take Henry to school." Regina nodded in return, and Emma wanted to offer more. She had an understanding of how stressful a therapy appointment could be. "You want to grab lunch tomorrow with me?" Of course, it wasn't like they had come to a point in their relationship where Emma could definitively say that her presence was comforting, but she could hope so. "At Granny's, of course. I've got some patrolling to do in the morning, and some things to plan for the town meeting in the afternoon." She tried to keep the hopeful look off her face.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I think I'll pass on lunch. It's difficult to gauge how long my session will be. It generally runs long, and there's some place I like to go after." Oh. Okay. Emma could deal with that. If Regina always had a place she went to unwind, she certainly wasn't going to interfere. She'd get Henry to school and go about her day and see them all later that night. "In fact, it may be wise for us to plan on having dinner out that night. Will the town meeting be over in time to take Henry to Granny's for dinner?"

Either the town meeting would be over, or Emma would leave it early. Despite how she knew Regina would protest, she'd rather be with her family than listen to a bunch of people talk about running a town that they had no idea how to handle. She pushed off the counter with a shrug and headed for the fridge for food. She was finally feeling a bit hungry. "Mm. Well, if you change your mind, give me a call," she commented on her way, "And the meeting is in the afternoon, so there should be plenty of time to take Henry out for dinner afterward." Unless they all got to arguing for hours. "And speaking of dinner, I think I'm getting hungry now."

Regina pulled the fridge door out of her hand and pointed to a plate warmer across the way. "There's a chicken potpie in the warmer for you." Emma followed the line of her hand with her eyes, and then her feet as she was drawn to the sight of food. The sound of the fridge closing behind her barely registered. "I'm going to go check on Henry and see how he's coming along with his homework."

Emma carefully opened the warmer, pulled out the food, and then smiled broadly, settling back crosslegged on her stool with a fork. "Ooo...speaking my language!" she commented happily. When Regina looked at her with a question on her face, she responded brightly, "Food!" and dug in.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	21. September 11: Master Bedroom

**_Chapter 21_**  
**_September 11, Wednesday Late Night_**  
**_Mayor's House: Master Bedroom_**

_She loved to swing. "Higher higher higher!" she'd shout gleefully, as the older foster children in the family would push her on the swing attached to the jungle gym in the backyard. She could spend hours out there without a thought to food, water, sleep, just swinging back and forth, over and over. Until dinnertime came and her foster parents wanted her to come inside. "I'm not hungry!" she cried, "I wanna swing!" The older children begged her to come in. Her foster mother counted down from ten twice. She wanted to go higher._

_Until he came outside. She stopped swinging immediately. She saw the heavy thick leather belt around his waist. It was studded with silver and had his name tooled into the leather. He'd showed it to her before, proud of the craftsmanship. He was already unbuckling it and pulling it through his belt loops. She could hear the noise the belt made sliding out of the loops...it was the worst sound she had ever heard in her life. She always ran away from him, but the yard was fenced in, and he easily caught her. After the first few times, she realized running made it worse. Everything made it worse. But she still ran._

Emma woke violently at her desk in the 'd been sleeping sitting upright in her chair, and thus slammed her palms down on her desk as she fell forward. She looked around wildly, taking deep breaths to calm herself. David was already on his way over to her. She couldn't get enough air. She stood up, and then he was hugging her tightly. She tried to twist away from him, but he wouldn't let her go, muttering nonsense words like "It's all right." and "I'm here." In her panic, she hit him in the stomach and ran out to her car.

Emma didn't know where she was going, only that she needed to drive, to forget. To get away from the crazy people who kept trying to claim her as their daughter who knew _nothing_ about her nightmares and her past. She needed to get away and out where she could _breathe_. To get away from the demon in her head that was chasing her with...his face, always his face laughing as he hit her. As he made her cry, as he left marks on her. She could feel his hands on her, smell his drunk breath in her face as he made her bend over either his knee, or the table, or the arm of the couch, or whatever happened to be most close by. She heard someone call her name and was terrified that David was chasing her. She jumped in her yellow bug , threw it in gear, and sped off.

It was miles before Emma's brain slowed down enough for her to think. Where was she driving to? Was she just going to up and leave? What about Henry and Regina? What were they going to think of her? How could she even explain this to Regina? What if David had gone over there and told her? What was _David_ going to think of her now? She tightened her grip on the wheel and kept going. She couldn't face Regina. She didn't want to see the look on the brunette's face when she told her that she had panicked and run off.

Emma was halfway to Boston before she even realized it. She pulled in at a small gas station and sat in her car with her eyes closed. In her haste to get away she'd left her leather jacket hanging over the back of the chair at her desk, and in her jacket was her wallet. Unfortunately for her, she didn't realize this little bit of information _before_ she'd run halfway to Boston and run out her tank. She got out of the car and dragged herself inside. She'd have to...call Regina? That would be shameful.

There was only one other person in the station besides her and the clerk. He looked to be about eighteen, and Emma thought she could get away with a story. She put on a slight limp, turned on the waterworks, and made her way to the clerk, who was watching her with interest. She fed him a line about an abusive husband who was chasing after her and could she _please_ just have some gas so she could get to her sister's place up the coast and then she'd come and pay him back later when she could get her wallet back.

Twenty minutes later Emma was on her way back to Storybrooke. Of course, her luck would fail right at the edge of town when the bug just up and died. She supposed the frantic unexpected trip was a little too much for the car. And when was the last time she'd gotten it checked out? She sighed heavily and got out of the car, preparing to walk to Regina's. There was nothing she could do for the car now. There was nothing she could do for what happened earlier now except come crawling back and face the consequences.

It was late when Emma arrived. She felt guilty, remembering that they were supposed to take Henry to dinner. She was supposed to be at the town meeting...which may or may not have happened without her, she didn't even know. What if her parents had gone completely insane about her disappearance and organized a search instead? What if Regina didn't want her to come back since she didn't call or anything? The last time Emma had taken off and hadn't come back all night, Regina had been _furious_. Now Emma wasn't sure what to expect. To be thrown out? And she was sure Henry was worried all over again...she wasn't sure what she was walking into now.

Emma knocked softly at Regina's bedroom door, and quietly called out, "Regina? Are you still awake?" It was time to face the music, so to speak. And really, she just wanted to be close to the woman. She wanted to curl up with Regina and have the brunette wrap around her and hold her tightly and never let her go again. She hoped that she hadn't ruined her chances of having that.

"Yes, come in, dear." Regina's reply was almost instantaneous. Emma opened the door slowly and stepped inside. She closed the door and turned around, pausing and just watching the brunette for a moment. Regina patted the bed next to her and everything inside Emma screamed in relief. "You never came to dinner, and you didn't call. I was starting to become concerned. What happened?" Emma had expected to be yelled at. She had expected to come home to be locked out, or find all of her stuff in the yard like you saw in the movies. Emma only found...home?

This wasn't how it was supposed to be. It was a very specific formula. Emma ran, disappeared, left, or whatever other adjective that you could use for her flighty ways. Then she came back when she was burned out. When the adrenaline ran out, she supposed. And then she was yelled at, tossed out, or thrown back. This...this was something new and unsettling. She didn't know how to handle it, but she was going to try to go with it. To break the cycle, maybe. "I…" Emma hesitated, not wanting to tell Regina where she'd been. She didn't want to break the woman's heart, or make her ashamed of her. She lied, "...can we just say it was a long day of calls and leave it at that? I've been all over town. And then my phone died, and my car died just when I was out the farthest, and I walked home." It was half true.

Emma settled on the bed next to Regina. There were so many things she wanted to ask the brunette for, things she needed but didn't know how to ask for them. "Can you just…" No, she couldn't bring herself to ask for Regina to hold her. "...I mean...can I just lay here with you?" Yes, that was a safer question. And maybe, Regina would pick up on what she really wanted? She felt like a coward because she couldn't just come out and say what she wanted.

"You _walked_ home? No wonder you look exhausted." Yes, that was a real confidence booster. Although Emma felt that looking exhausted was a relative term. When she looked in the mirror, Emma always saw exhaustion in herself in some form or another. Regina looked her over and frowned. Emma didn't take into account Regina's need for the pristine either as the woman suggested, "Of course you're welcome to lie here, but wouldn't you like to take a bath first?" The way Regina was looking at her made Emma feel like she wasn't allowed to say no. "You may use my tub if you'd like." Oh, well at least there was an incentive. Although, Emma did think that perhaps washing away the dirt would help her feel like she was washing away the day as well.

She laughed softly at the obsessiveness of the woman. "Is that a nice way of saying you can't stand that I'm dirty right now?" Regina just tilted her head in response. "Okay, I'll go take a bath." At least when she was clean she'd be able to come back to Regina's bed.

* * *

**_Later That Same Night: Wednesday Late Night  
Mayor's House: Master Bedroom_**

The only thing that could possibly pull Emma out of the warmth of the bath that she was enjoying was the hope that she could find comfort in Regina's arms. She sat there for a long time in the water, slowly swirling bubbles around her as she tried to work up the nerve to go back and ask Regina if she could stay with her. Why was it even so hard? She spent all night the other night holding the brunette. What made it so hard for her to accept the same in return...or even the idea of the same? She batted at some bubbles and frowned at herself. The day had been too emotionally draining to try to analyze herself.

Emma stepped out of the bathroom nervously in her too-short pyjamas and a thin tank top. She was barefoot and, although she usually slept completely naked, she somehow felt more vulnerable with these clothes on than she felt she would without them at all. The wicked way Regina was looking at her made her want to squirm on the spot. "Apple scented things sit well on you, Emma." Emma didn't know how to respond to that. Regina moved over on the bed and Emma took that to mean she was invited to return. "Would you still like to lie down with me for a bit?"

Emma willed herself forward and sat down on the bed. She felt cold, and not just because it was cool in the room. She pulled covers up over herself and shivered underneath them until the space warmed. Mentally chastising herself for being such a baby about things, she looked up at Regina shyly and asked in a small voice, "Regina, can you...be the big spoon? And can I stay?" She hated how she sounded, as if she was weak. "I don't think I'm going to sleep." Another admitted weakness. She couldn't handle looking at Regina anymore, especially if the older woman was going to refuse her request, so she turned on her side away from Regina.

Immediately she was wrapped up in Regina's arms and pulled in tight to the woman's body. She felt overwhelmed by a new, unidentifiable sensation. Her eyes watered and she blinked a few times, unsure whether she could allow herself to fall apart here in the shelter of Regina's arms. She didn't know if she could hold herself together either and the warring sensations were causing a bi-polar shift in her chest. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about what's happened tonight? Even having to walk from the furthest spot in town to my home wouldn't make you this weary," Regina said quietly, her voice against Emma's ear. She wasn't sure that she _did_ want to tell Regina what had happened. How would she explain her panic? How would she explain hitting David, running almost to Boston and _thieving_ again? She was ashamed that she'd lost so much control of herself.

"Talk to me, Emma. I give you my word that you can trust me," Regina continued in that soothing voice, "I will keep your confidence." Just the tone of the brunette's voice made Emma want to burst into tears. She couldn't tell Regina exactly what had happened. But she could...maybe she could tell her about her nightmare. About her demon.

Emma started with her biggest issue. "I...didn't sleep last night either." That made two days now that she hadn't slept, again. Not since the night she was holding Regina, and even that night they were up late. She didn't want to tell Regina about what happened with David. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to talk about it with _David_, though she knew he'd probably pester her about it until she caved. In her mind, it was his fault for touching her. When had she ever given him permission to touch her? Only two people had that privilege. She'd leave out the napping part and make it seem like it happened the night before. "I went to bed and then had a...well one of my recurring dreams. I'm six," Emma began, closing her eyes and just breathing in Regina's presence as she told this part of her story.

"It's the second foster family I lived with. They had two other kids that were both older. They used to tell me to just be quiet, to keep my head down, to be good. I was so good..._so good_." Her voice broke on the last words as she lost her composure, tears slowly beginning to fall down her face. It was never enough. She was never enough for any family. She willed herself to continue, to get all of the poison out of the wound. "It didn't matter. The father beat me. Creatively. I...sometimes if I just laughed the wrong way while playing." And sometimes if she didn't want to stop playing, if she played too rough, if she played too close to him, if she wandered into his sight at the wrong time, the list went on and on and on. "I still have marks." She almost thought sometimes when she looked in the mirror that she could see them still fresh across her backside.

Tears slid down over her nose and into the mattress below her, but she barely made a sound. She never sobbed, never whimpered, never bawled anymore. She liked to say that turning into a howling child was beneath her, but the truth was it was snuffed out of her by a firm hand long ago. Crying only made him laugh. Emma took a deep breath and focused on the feeling of Regina's arms around her. She tried to focus on the sound of the older woman's breathing. She didn't want to get lost in her head again. She was trying to share the demon, not revisit him.

Emma kept trying and failing to pull herself back together, to put her walls back up, but it was impossible. She both felt entirely too exposed, too vulnerable, and yet she also felt protected at the same time. Like nothing could touch her here in Regina's arms. "So I dream sometimes that he's beating me again," she began, leaving out that it wasn't sometimes, but all the time, and it wasn't just him, but so many people who had abused her in her life. "only, now that I'm older and I know what people can do to each other, it's much worse than what he ever actually did to me," Emma continued. Her nightmares were so much worse than reality, even if she did sometimes dream in flashbacks. "But it's his face...his mocking face staring down at me."

She couldn't tell Regina about her panic. Emma wanted to so badly. She wanted to be honest, she wanted to be a _good_...she couldn't finish the thought. Maybe someday she could tell the woman what really happened today. "And I thought about it all day...and my day went from bad to worse…" Really, her bug breaking down had been like kicking her when she was already beaten. She felt like she was bleeding out all over the place, like she couldn't hold herself together, or rein herself in at all.

Regina was quiet for a few minutes and Emma wasn't sure she could handle whatever the woman was thinking. What if she thought Emma was damaged? What if she thought Emma wasn't good enough, that this was the moment that Regina realized Emma was broken beyond repair and it wasn't worth… "I'm so sorry, Emma." Regina sounded like she was carrying so much guilt in her words and it shocked the blonde. What did she have...oh. Emma hadn't thought about the fact that it was Regina who had doomed her to a life away from her parents. That was something she didn't generally think about because she couldn't merge the idea of the Evil Queen and the woman who was holding her protectively and providing her comfort at this very moment. It defied logic to her brain.

Emma needed more. She didn't know the right words to say to make Regina understand that she just needed to breathe her in. She needed to be closer. She pulled away slightly and rolled towards Regina, hiding her face in the brunette's neck. "Just...hold me, okay?" she mumbled against her skin. She needed Regina's help to put herself back together.

Emma was wrapped up once again in Regina's arms and pulled against the woman. She couldn't help the tears this time as the overwhelming feeling of being protected and of being safe washed over her. The entire day's stress and anguish seemed to melt away as she pressed closer to the brunette. Her exhaustion eventually overtook her, and she drifted off to sleep fitfully against Regina.


	22. September 12: Master Bedroom

**_Chapter 22_**  
**_September 12: Thursday Morning_**  
**_Mayor's House: Master Bedroom_**

It wasn't a secret that Emma had slept alone almost every night since Neal had left her to go to prison. Before the other night with Regina, she could have said that she slept alone every night since that time. Even her few one night stands had been sent packing as soon as their usefulness wore off. It might seem callous but it was worth it for the peace of mind that it gave her. Emma didn't like to be touched. At least, she didn't like to be touched without warning. In fact, she really only allowed Henry and...she supposed now Regina to touch her. She liked to be the one initiating all of the casual contact. It was simple. Emma initiated hugs, touches, enough contact to throw people off and make it seem like she didn't mind at all. She found that people didn't try to touch her as much when she did that.

So, when someone unexpectedly touched her and shook her in her sleep, in the middle of a particularly nasty dream, Emma woke immediately. Still caught up in her dream and forgetting where she was, she jerked away and practically yelled, "No!" After blinking a few times, she realized where she was and flushed, embarrassed that she'd pull away from Regina, of all people. "Er...uh...ahem" She had no idea what to say now. How could she reassure Regina that she wasn't pulling away from her? And the woman was looking at her with such _concern_ it made her feel like she wanted to crawl away and hide. "I mean...good morning." she attempted, hoping that it would get the brunette to stop looking at her like that.

"Why don't you call in today?" Regina asked, still with that concern written all over her face. Emma looked away from her toward the wall. She couldn't handle it at the moment. "I'll take Henry to school, come back, and we can both catch up on some much needed sleep. How does that sound?" It _sounded_ good but Emma had a real hard time letting the town fend for themselves.

"Who will keep the town from killing each other if I don't?" Emma asked seriously, tilting her head just a touch at Regina.

If it weren't for the fact that she _did_ see thousands of other expressions cross the woman's face, Emma would believe that rolling her eyes was all that Regina could do. Although, she did roll them quite a bit. Emma was actually attached to Regina's sarcastic nature. If they were both inclined to dramatics and fluffy things all the time, then who would keep them grounded in reality? "Your charming father, Deputy Dude, and his faithful, loyal sidekick, Miss Lucas. There's even a bonus. Not only is she man's best friend, she can take herself for a walk."

Emma genuinely laughed at Regina's portrayal of Ruby. She regretted it a little bit because Ruby was her good friend, but she brushed off the thought by reassuring herself that what Ruby didn't know wouldn't hurt her. "That...is actually really funny," she said after she'd gotten herself under control again. This earned her a smile from Regina which made Emma feel warm all over. She found herself living more and more to make the brunette smile, smirk, grin, or laugh.

Regina blushed a bit and Emma wondered what was going through the woman's mind. She tilted her head slightly at the brunette, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to see if she could suddenly sprout the ability to read minds. Unfortunately it wasn't going to happen in the next few minutes, especially after Regina cleared her throat and made her lose her focus on the woman's rather gorgeous eyes. "One day without you will not hurt them. Call in, Emma." Was that...a little bit of begging she heard in Regina's tone? "...please?" Why, yes. Yes it was. Emma was slightly floored. Not that she could admit that to Regina. She couldn't let the woman know how easy it would be to get her to agree to anything. When you added in the big puppy eyes that Regina was giving her, she was practically putty in the woman's hands.

Emma rolled her eyes and pretended to be extremely put upon when she responded. "Alright, I'll call in. But," she paused briefly, thinking fast. She had to have demands after all. "only if you promise to lie around in bed with me all day. Of course, after you take Henry to school," she finished with a small grin on her face. She'd happily give in to whatever Regina wanted her to do if she got to spend all day in bed. Maybe she'd even get to cuddle with the woman again. But what did Regina say the other night? That she was always the big spoon? Emma didn't know how she felt about that.

She shrugged off the thought as Regina responded, "Let it never be said that I can't have a lazy day. I'm going to take a shower and then make breakfast. I shouldn't take long. Come have breakfast with us, dear. Henry always seems to like it when we eat meals as a family." Emma wrinkled her nose at the idea of getting out of bed at _all_ but she supposed she should make some appearance to her son. Otherwise he'd go off on some tangent about how Regina had turned evil and was holding her hostage or something. She wanted to fault him for his imagination, but considering that Regina had been who she was at one time, she...had to let Henry come to terms with it on his own.

"Okay, I'll get up. But you can't make me get dressed or shower," Emma stated playfully. She'd never let the brunette in on her thoughts about Henry. "_This_ time. And I'll have you know that when you get back I'm stripping down to my...relatively normal sleeping attire." She'd go naked, but even she couldn't quite bring herself to be that exposed or vulnerable around Regina...yet.

"Even more incentive for my trip to school to be a fast one," Regina responded, one of her perfectly kept eyebrows arching up at Emma. The look made a shiver run up Emma's spine, almost as if Regina were promising something _more_ than just lying in bed all day. And even if she weren't, Emma didn't need any promise or hint of something more to make shivers course through her. Just the way Regina _looked_ at her was enough. Regina was enough.

She shook off the startling thought that maybe she was the first person to see the woman that way in a very long time and playfully slid her hand down her own ridiculously clad body (the mis-matched pyjamas really not doing her any favors), and gave Regina a wicked grin and a wink. "I'm all the incentive you need, honey." Honey? The pet name didn't sit well in her mouth. She wouldn't be using that one again.

Emma grinned wider as she caught Regina watching the trail of her hand, blatantly eyeing her down, and then up. The brunette snorted and rolled her eyes, and Emma cheered internally in victory. She would have whooped out loud, but she felt that would be extremely rude of her. She definitely did _not_ think it was rude to stare at Regina's ass as she walked towards the bathroom, however. That was just...well, how could she help herself? It was an awesome ass!

* * *

**_Later That Same Day: Thursday Mid-Morning_**  
**_Mayor's House: Master Bedroom_**

When Regina left to take Henry to school, Emma decided that maybe it _would_ be a good idea for her to bathe. She still felt a little grimy from the day before, both inside and out. Plus, she had seen a rubber duck in there, and wanted to claim it for her own. She loved rubber ducks in her baths for many reasons...many reasons that she was going to keep to herself. It wouldn't do to alert everyone to _all_ of her insanities.

Emma paused just inside of Regina's room. Should she take liberties inside of Regina's bathroom again? She hadn't been given permission to be in the woman's space, much less inside her bathroom when Regina wasn't around. It felt like she was crossing a boundary line, like she was taking their relationship to another level on her own. She thought about it for a few minutes. On the one hand, she didn't want to push them into something Regina wasn't ready for. On the other hand, if no one was doing any pushing in the relationship, then they wouldn't go anywhere. On a third hand, it was just a freaking bathroom and she might just be overreacting because she was still emotional. She took a deep breath, pushed all of those thoughts out of her mind, and stepped forward towards the bathroom.

Inside the bathroom, she stripped and started the water running. There were about six different things to make bubbles, and she added a bit of all of them, which produced a huge amount of white thick foam. She tossed in ducky and slid into the water with a sigh of relaxation. After a while she felt so heavy and tired and the water was so hot that she dozed lightly.

"Emma? Where are you? Are you in the master bath? Emma?" Emma was startled out of her sleep by the sound of Regina's voice and immediately felt guilty for being in Regina's bath and clearly not where the woman expected her to be. She heard the woman mumbling, but couldn't quite make out the words. Something about leaving her alone? She put the duck up on the edge of the tub and made sure every bit of her was covered.

"I'm in here, Regina," Emma called out in response, taming her nervousness at what Regina's reaction might be to finding her in the master bath. "Turns out, you have a _lot_ of things that can make bubbles in your bath." She hesitated a moment between calling for Regina to come in, and getting up and joining the woman in the other room. Emma decided to throw caution to the wind. "Come in. I'm covered with mountains of them."

It took a few moments. Emma got bored waiting and picked up the duck again. She scooped up a handful of bubbles and started creating devil horns on her duck. She felt that having a devil duck in the "evil" queen's bathtub was hilarious. She was still at it when Regina walked in barefoot wearing a button-down shirt with rolled up sleeves. At first, Emma was still distracted by the duck, but when she looked up at Regina the woman took her breath away all over again. She swallowed a few times as Regina asked, "Is that one of Henry's rubber ducks?"

Finding her voice, she grinned and replied brightly, "It might be…" She held the duck up for Regina to see, happy that the brunette was smiling again. It made Regina snort, which Emma had a hard time not laughing at. "I felt it was appropriate for the occasion," she explained. What was a bath without a rubber duck, after all?

Regina just shook her head at Emma and said, "I'm going to finish changing and pick up where I left off on my book until you're done in here." Emma had a decision to make. She wanted to offer that Regina join her in the tub, but she was terrified of that next step. She wanted to be able to see all of Regina, to touch her, to simply be with her but she also couldn't imagine it. One, she'd never done anything like that before, and two, she didn't want to push something that neither of them were ready for. But again, she thought that someone had to push the lines in their relationship. She felt like she'd already pushed one line that day, what was one more? "I'm sure you and the duck have a lot to catch up on. I won't keep you."

Emma needed to say something before Regina left. "What, you don't want to…" Emma hesitated as she spoke, the words coming out haltingly. She was trying to be bold but she knew she sounded more like a stuttering teenage boy. "Um…" she tried, and then finally just decided to spit it out, trying to be as flirtatious as possible, "join me?"

Regina's eyebrows threatened to levitate off her face, and Emma was both excited for her to say yes and join her, and also desperate for her to say no. She wasn't ready for this at all, and certainly not in a bathtub. She wanted the first time that she ever saw Regina naked to be something different than this. She wanted to pay homage to Regina when it was their first time, and getting down and dirty in a tub full of water was not the way she'd imagined that to go. Even if they didn't do anything more than sit here in the water, Emma still felt that it would be too much.

Regina answered her softly, "Because we haven't so much as kissed, and, as impressed as I am with the nerve you must have to make that particular offer right now…" Emma breathed out a quiet sigh of relief at the refusal. "I'm going to have to remind you that I am many things, but easy isn't one of them." Emma wanted to scoff at that, but she reined it in. She was slowly learning that Regina was a great many things, but easy certainly wasn't on that list. Easy wasn't even close to being on that list. "I'll be in the bedroom when you're done, dear."

Emma grinned broadly up at her. "As if anything with you is easy, Regina. I'll be out soon." She went back to the duck, contemplating the hairstyle before sweeping it off and beginning again.

* * *

**_Later That Same Day: Thursday Mid-Morning_**  
**_Mayor's House: Master Bedroom_**

Emma stayed in the bath until the water went stone cold, despite the fact that she really wanted to get up and rush into the other room and get into bed with Regina. She took the time to settle herself, especially after the rush that even asking Regina to join her in the bath had caused. Emma needed to be...centered. She'd been through a lot of turmoil in the past few days, and, despite being pretty sure...well, actually she wasn't sure at all that Regina would let her become an emotional wreck all over again today. Maybe she had a once a month minimum rule, or something of the sort? At any rate, Emma definitely did not want to be...she wanted to be the supportive one. This sort of weird moment couldn't happen again. She was supposed to be the savior, the stupid white knight, the stable one, the...strong, independant, vibrant personality. There would be no more breakdowns.

When she started to shiver, Emma figured that was a sign that she should probably get out of the bath. She let the water out and stood up, wrapping herself in a towel that was one of the most fluffy textures she'd ever touched in her life. Clearly there was decadence everywhere at the mayor's house. Former mayor's house. She still planned to correct that somehow. She dried herself off and slipped into a pair of bright red boyshorts and a white tanktop. For a moment, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Tiredness was etched on her face. There were dark circles under her eyes, which were red in themselves, and she caught herself yawning. Maybe Regina was right. She really did need a day off.

Emma stepped out of the bathroom nervously. This was the most exposed she'd ever been in front of Regina and, despite her earlier bravado over her sleeping attire, she actually felt naked for once. Emma wouldn't be deterred, however. She ignored her insecure thoughts about the way her body looked, about the scars that she had, and willed herself to step forward. Regina was completely ignoring her anyway, intently reading something on an ereader. She threw herself down on her stomach next to the brunette and asked, "Whatcha reading, Regina?" in a bright tone.

Regina huffed at her and Emma shrank a little bit. Weren't they supposed to be spending the day together? Was Regina annoyed at her for being there? "Wicked," she responded and put the ereader down on the nightstand. Regina tilted her head at her and Emma brushed it off. There was no need to turn every one of her feelings into a crisis. She let it go. "You seem to be feeling better. How was your bath?" See, it was probably a definite misinterpretation. An overreaction. That was all.

Emma shrugged. How was any bath? It was a bath. "It was good. Hot, bubbles, rubber ducks. Couldn't ask for a better bath." Emma rolled over and held her arms out as wide as possible, smiling up at the brunette in appreciation. "And your bathtub is _huge_. I'm jealous." Not to mention all of the things that make bubbles, the towels, the soap...there were only a handful of times that Emma had enjoyed something so nice. Not that she'd tell Regina that. One past hardship at a time, thank you very much.

And speaking of past hardships, Emma looked away from Regina toward the wall. She was bothered by the fact that she'd pulled away from Regina when she woke up this morning. She didn't want the woman to think it was personal. "You're not upset about this morning, are you?" she asked softly, "I'm sorry for pulling away from you." She wished she could say it wouldn't happen again, but there was no way she could make that promise.

Regina was immediately reassuring. "Of course not. It's not even worth mentioning." Emma breathed a sigh of relief, though she couldn't look back at Regina just yet. She felt the woman move on the bed and tensed a little, afraid of being touched in that moment. Afraid of what the touch might do to her. Break her, maybe? Tear down her walls? She only heard Regina's soft voice asking, "Tell me, what do you have planned for us today? I thought we might watch a movie. There are a few I've missed out on over the decades that I wouldn't mind seeing now. Normally, when I take a day off, I like to garden, but you don't strike me as the type." Emma let Regina's voice flow over her, tugging her back from that dark place once again.

She turned back at the gardening comment, rallied herself, and protested, "Hey, I did some pruning, once. With a chainsaw…" Regina frowned at her, and then began to glare at her, and Emma thought maybe that was the wrong thing to say. She flinched slightly, but at least it cleared the other uncomfortableness that she had felt. "Not funny?" Apparently it wasn't as Regina just kept right on glaring at her. "Don't look at me like that." She looked down at the blankets to escape Regina's glare and eyebrow raise.

Emma thought about it for a moment. She really had no desire to move from this spot, and Regina did promise that laying in bed all day was in order. And that movie idea sounded fantastic. She couldn't even remember the last time she watched a movie. She sighed and looked up again. Regina was still glaring at her, which made her roll her eyes at the woman. She answered with a shrug at last, "I really just want to lay with you in this bed all day. Can we watch a movie in here? What movie did you have in mind?"

Regina sat up and leaned against the headboard. "Well, I hate to admit this aloud,"she began, and Emma perked up, extremely intrigued, "but I'd actually like to catch up on the Disney movies that have been released." Emma blinked at her. Disney movies? Was she serious? She looked at Regina for a long moment. "I've been ordering them since you broke the curse, and I've been meaning to actually watch them." Oh yes, she was actually serious. She tried to hold in her laughter. For a moment, she succeeded, but it bubbled up out of her and she just couldn't help herself. "Stop laughing like that," the woman commanded, which of course made Emma laugh only harder. "I have a good reason." Whatever the reason was, Emma didn't even care. The idea that one of the fairy tale characters from the movies would be able to watch all of them was just a little bit too much, too surreal for her. Regina shoved her playfully, and she went with it, allowing herself to fall over on the bed and keep laughing. "I want to know what this world thinks of ours, and I understand that Disney is the gold star standard for what they think of us."

Emma tried to take deep breaths to get herself under control. She couldn't even look at Regina, she'd just start laughing again. So she stared down at the blankets and let out the occasional chuckle as the woman talked about what she wanted to see. "So far, I've managed to avoid watching '_Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_'." Emma couldn't contain a fresh round of laughter at this. Regina continued undeterred, "However, I would like to see '_The Little Mermaid_', '_Beauty and the Beast_', and '_Sleeping Beauty_'. I do have all four downstairs. Emma finally got herself under control and looked back at Regina as she spoke about '_Snow White_'. "Despite how much I'll likely hate it, I recognize I should probably watch '_Snow White_'." The heavy sigh that came from the woman made Emma's heart ache. Especially after the other night...she could never look at that movie the same way herself. "It could be a good opportunity for you to ask me about what our world was really like while we watch." Emma thought that there were probably better opportunities than forcing someone to watch a movie that they'd most likely hate, "Or a good chance to see me curse a great deal at the television screen." Now that was something worth seeing. But she could probably get that reaction from other movies that didn't dig up painful memories. Or at least, other movies that dug up...less painful memories.

She smirked at Regina, though. "That is possibly the cutest thing I have ever heard you say." Really, cursing at the television screen, wanting to watch Disney movies, Emma didn't know where to begin with the cute. "Okay," she began, "we have to watch all of them but we'll save the hated one for last. But you forgot to order '_Pinocchio_', '_101 Dalmatians_', and '_Cinderella_'." Emma grinned up at Regina and added, "You get the movies, I'll make the popcorn. How about that? You can throw it at the screen if you get angry!" Emma knew that Regina would never do such a thing to her _precious_ clean sheets, but the idea amused her all the same.

Regina's reaction of rolling her eyes did not surprise Emma in the least. "Only if you promise to clean up the kernels." Well, that was the easy part, wasn't it? She'd just eat them after Regina threw them.

Emma bounced off the bed, gave a little bow towards Regina, and dramatically said, "Of course, my queen. Anything you wish." She then pivoted and practically bounced out of the room, extremely excited about the day's events.

* * *

**_Later That Same Day: Thursday Afternoon_**  
**_Mayor's House: Master Bedroom_**

Emma would never admit it in a million years to Regina, but '_Sleeping Beauty_' terrified her. In fact, this was probably the first time she'd watched it since she was...very little. She'd watched it only a couple of times, and it was the only Disney movie that kept showing up repeatedly in her dreams. It was also the only movie in which she continually had to remind herself that good won in the end. The fairies freaked her out, Maleficent terrified her, and when she turned into a dragon in the end? Emma was usually leaving the room by that point. But since she couldn't tell Regina that, she sat and endured and imagined all over again that she was Prince Phillip and she was the one slaying the dragon and rescuing the princess, as she used to do whenever her dreams came.

Of course, Regina laughed through most of the movie. Emma found it kind of infectious, and by the end was smiling just...a _little_ bit. When they moved on to safer territory, she felt the grip that the movie had on her heart slowly ease off. She could talk about '_101 Dalmatians_' with ease. "You know, Pongo never had that many puppies," Regina commented while resettling herself on the bed. Emma turned to face her as she talked. "Of course, it makes for a much cuter story, but he only sired about 12 pups in all over the course of a few pregnancies." Emma kind of wished that Regina _did_ have the movie, the animated version or the live version. She was kind of partial to the live version. The actress did such a fantastic job...Emma shook her head a bit to clear the thought. "What I don't understand is why they felt the need to make Cruella look like that. She was much more…" Emma raised her eyebrows at Regina. Were they talking about the animated version? She didn't know, she'd lost the train somewhere among her thoughts. "curvaceous than that." The black and white hair was a bit much, she supposed. Maybe she meant how gangly the animated woman looked? Wait...did Regina have a _thing_ with Cruella?

Emma's eyes went a little wide as she considered the implications of that. "Tell me you did not have a thing with Cruella. That would just be so…" So...what? Different? Odd? "weird." She settled on weird, unable to find her real feelings about the matter. Maybe she was jealous of anyone else...being able to have a thing with Regina besides her. She couldn't consider it. Regina gave her her best 'Really?' look and Emma added, "Yes. Weird." She leaned back against the headboard and crossed her arms as if that were her final say on the matter.

It made Regina laugh. "No, Cruella and I never had 'a thing. In fact, we didn't really care for each other." Emma couldn't help but feel a little relieved and happy about this. It also made her feel a little awful at the same time. What right did she have to be upset if Regina had past lovers? She already knew of at least two. Although, she felt that if she wanted to get upset about one of them she had every right to. Just not...in the brunette's presence. "My only real friend in the Enchanted Forest, outside of my father, was Maleficent." Oh, great. Regina was friends with the only fairy tale creature that Emma had nightmares about. That...was actually quite fitting. "That was a complicated friendship." That was a weighted statement.

Emma could feel the tension in the room, and it was too much for the day. She needed to switch them back onto lighter ground. "I'm sure they had him have so many puppies in the story because dalmatians are supposed to have a lot of puppies at one time." She watched as Regina blinked at her, and then caught up to her train of thought. It gave her a kind of amusing expression, not that Emma would point that out. "Poor Perdita. So glad I'm not a dog, one kid at a time is enough. And then they adopted 99 more! Even in your giant mansion here we don't have room for that many children."

Regina didn't pass up the opportunity that Emma threw to her. She raised an eyebrow and said in that flirtatious tone that made Emma go all weak in her knees, "Already adding to our family, are you, Miss Swan?"

Emma put on her best fake shocked voice, raised a hand to the middle of her chest, and said, "Why, Regina, we haven't even _kissed_ yet. I'm not that easy." She smirked at being able to use Regina's words from earlier against her. The idea though...the idea gave her pause. Maybe she would like to have another kid. She hadn't been there for Henry's early years, not that not being there for one child was a reason to have another, but she felt a sudden tightness in her chest, a desire she realize was so strong before. To...actually raise a child from birth _with_ Regina. She heard her own voice as if far away, "Someday…"

She shook herself a little bit. What the hell was she saying? That was a topic of conversation for much, much later, and who said that Regina even wanted that kind of life? Faltering, she latched on to the first topic that came to her mind. "Most friendships are complicated in some way. Do you want to talk about it? I don't want to pry, but I'm here for you. Otherwise, we can keep watching movies." Please, for the love of all that was holy and good and whatever in this world, let the woman want to do _something_ other than talk about what Emma was just oversharing.

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as Regina went with the topic. Emma ignored the shocked expression on Regina's face completely. "There's really not much to tell," the brunette commented, "Besides, she's no longer around." No longer around? The person, the dragon from Emma's nightmares was...gone? "That dragon you killed? That was her." Emma couldn't help herself. She went wide-eyed in shock. She'd killed one of her demons. Literally killed one of her demons. A look of wonder spread across her face, and she couldn't even form a response, she was so stunned. "Don't look so shocked," Regina shrugged, as if she hadn't just dropped something huge on Emma. "Like I said, we had a complicated friendship.

Emma supposed she couldn't blame the woman. How could she know that Maleficent had haunted her? And she couldn't tell her, either. She'd have to lie. "I'm not…" she trailed off, rallying herself and sitting up straighter. "Shocked. I'm just," she continued, smirking at the idea that it was her that finally vanquished the evil dragon, "imagining myself in the role of Prince Philip now." Yes, that was safe to say. Her mind was slowly coming around to the idea. "I loved that movie as a child," she lied, "and now? Well, now I've gotten to play the part I always imagined." She did always have to imagine herself slaying the dragon so she could sleep. But it wasn't so she could save a princess. It was so she could save herself. Which was sort of ironic...since she was a princess and all. Not that she accepted that role for herself. "Except under different circumstances, naturally, but still." She hoped that Regina bought the lie. That something led her to believe that Emma _would_ love the movie and would love the idea of playing the Prince.

She shrugged a bit and adjusted some pillows behind her, lacing her hands together behind her head and laying back. "Complicated, indeed," she muttered. She couldn't believe that Maleficent was gone. Some part of her was kind of sad. She might have liked to meet the actual woman. To put to rest the nightmare in a different way. It was too late now.

"If you knew Philip, you wouldn't want to be him." Regina said with a small shake of her head. "He's actually a rather weak personality compared to Aurora, which isn't saying much." Considering that Emma had _met_ Aurora and that the woman had gotten her heart taken by Cora and led them right into an almost disaster, but she'd also helped save them, Emma wasn't sure how to respond to that. After all, clearly one didn't just say "no, don't take my heart" to Cora. Unless it happened to be stuck inside their chest like Emma's was. "A power couple, those two are not."

Emma raised her finger to her lips in a shushing motion and said, "Shh...don't ruin my childhood dreams with reality." Especially not the reality that she slayed Maleficent. She dropped her hand and teased, "Besides, I have a strong personality. That's all that matters in 'who slayed a dragon' retellings." Who did? That's right, she did. "And that's a good thing, because I have to have a strong personality to put up with you," she added with a smile, "We'll be the power couple in the story." The knight and the Queen. In her head, it was perfect and beautiful and she was so thrilled. Her heart soared at the idea.

"I suppose," Regina said with a groan, making a face at her. Emma was undeterred. "However, in most stories where there is a white knight and an evil queen, I don't believe it's ever come out that they were a power couple." Emma shrugged lightly. She didn't have to wear the white knight hat. She could be many things. Savior, princess, or, she could say fuck it to all of those stupid titles and just be Emma, for once in her life. No more labels. And she had plenty _before_ Storybrooke that she'd like to get rid of as well. "That's a new one for Henry's book." Honestly, Emma was going to burn the book. Next time no one was looking. "Shall we move on to '_Beauty and the Beast_'? I'm dying to see how they interpret Belle and that imp."

"Who says you have to be evil?" Emma scowled. She was tired of hearing that term applied to Regina. She could accept it from everyone else because she knew everyone else was so...small minded, closed, unwilling to see that the world wasn't written in black and white. She was willing to believe that not even the Enchanted forest had been written into black and white. Wasn't the way the King had treated Regina a shining example of a gray area? She took a deep breath. Today wasn't a day to battle demons. "Can't you just be the Queen?" she asked, in a much quieter voice. She didn't really want a response to that question, so she changed the topic abruptly. "And you can't make fun of me for singing along with the songs," she demanded, pointing her finger at the brunette, "That's written into the relationship bylaws." Emma smiled brilliantly at Regina, knowing that now, it was almost certainly going to happen.

"I make no promises." Regina said with a smirk.

* * *

_**Later That Same Day: Thursday Afternoon**_  
_**Mayor's House: Master Bedroom**_

Emma watched in great amusement as Regina tossed popcorn at the television screen. "Oh, this is ridiculous. The beast is _actually_ a beast?" She had to admit the premise of the movie was a bit of a stretch, but she didn't care about the movie one bit if it meant she could see Regina throw more popcorn. "Honestly, you'd think Disney had Gold confused with Ruby." Emma wasn't going to argue. She was just going to sit and be quiet and watch. It felt like the right thing to do. "And what kind of witch sets up a boy Henry's age like that? Of _course_ he's going to be selfish. They're all selfish at that age. The only thing working for me in this story is Belle."

The crash of the popcorn bowl hitting the nightstand made Emma wince a bit. Regina pointed at the screen and Emma's attention was drawn there, where Belle was tending to a wounded Beast. "Belle is actually very much like that. She's adventurous, selfless, loves to read, and, for whatever reason, always manages to find the good in even the most despicable of us," the brunette explained, crossing her arms and scrunching her face up, "which explains her relationship with Gold." Emma's attention was drawn back to Regina, and the look on her face was extremely adorable. In fact, Regina's whole reaction to the movie was cute, and Emma went searching for popcorn in order to not blurt out her own thoughts.

Of course, Regina had thrown all the popcorn. She was out of luck. It made her huff a bit. "Well, you know Disney did have to change it to make it good for 'children'," she commented, "Maybe that's what they were going for?" She thought about Belle and Gold's relationship. It was a little too perfect that Belle would be the one true love of Gold, _and_ have all of the qualities that she needed to be able to love him. Emma tilted her head slightly and considered this. She looked over at Regina, who was watching the movie intently. "Do you believe that there's only one true love for every person? Like, Belle has to be adventurous and brave and able to see the good in the most despicable of characters like Gold _because_ she's his one true love?" Because Emma had some strong thoughts about herself and Regina if that was the case. Strong thoughts that she wasn't quite sure she was ready to voice.

The question made Regina shift and Emma almost regretted asking it. She knew that it was hard for Regina to talk about this sort of thing for multiple reasons. But, she decided to go for it anyway. She couldn't always run away from things, then where would they be? In a cautious tone, Regina replied, "In our world, that's what we're taught to believe. But, having seen a curse broken by the true love between a mother and son, I think that, perhaps, there's not really such a thing as one true love, but, rather, the idea is the love in question between two people is true." That made sense to Emma, but it wasn't really the answer to her question. Maybe she asked it wrong. What she really wanted to know was if two people could be perfectly made for each other. She'd have to...try again. "I've thought about it quite a bit, actually. Between the examples of your parents, Gold and Belle, and you and Henry, I think it's safe to say there are different types of true love."

When Regina hugged herself Emma knew that they were treading into dangerous territory for the woman. She wouldn't look at Emma, and it made her want to reach out and touch her, or comfort her. But she knew she'd have to wait until the other woman was ready. "Maybe the reason Belle and Gold hold true love between them isn't because one was made for the other but because they are able to love each other despite… or in spite ...of everything?" Ah, that was the answer Emma was looking for. That...that was something she could choose to believe in. She could choose to love Regina in spite of everything that the woman had done, or might do, or how hard things might get. She could choose to stay.

Regina was growing pale and more upset by the moment. Emma burned with the desire to hug her. She waited anyway, shifting uncomfortably. She wished she could know what the brunette was thinking so she could...help, somehow. So she could tell her that she'd be there, that she'd stay no matter what Regina had done. Regina kept on talking, her voice becoming a little more broken the more upset she became. "I don't really know. If there is only one true love for a person, then…" Emma could guess at what she was thinking about, since Regina had hinted at her lost first love before. "I don't know that I… I just… I just don't know…"

Regina closed her eyes and started to shake. Emma sat up and opened her arms. She'd been silent long enough. She felt guilty for causing demons to come out. Softly, she invited the woman into her arms. "Hey, c'mere." Regina opened her eyes and looked at her. "I didn't mean to upset you. Tell me what's going through your head?" She really wanted to know what darkness consumed the woman. She wanted to bring light into Regina's life...though she rolled her eyes internally at the thought. That was a little bit too much...charming. Even for her.

Regina practically scrambled into her arms, tucking her head beneath her chin and settling on her lap. Emma's arms wrapped around her immediately and securely. The voice that came out of her was so...Emma couldn't even begin to describe the effect that it had on her. It made her eyes mist over, and her heart wrench in her chest, and all the brunette did was utter the word "Daniel." A sob escaped the woman and Emma tightened her arms around Regina as if she were trying to help hold her together, as if she could keep her safe and protected.

She rested her chin gently on top of Regina's head, trying to just envelope the woman with her presence. In a soft voice she said, "You think if there's only one true love for a person, then you're out of luck?" She didn't need Regina to confirm that, she knew that was exactly what the woman was thinking. "Well, that's just not true. I think you were right about Belle and Gold being able to love each other through everything and that being the basis for true love. I think love is a choice and not just an emotion. I think…" She gripped at the fabric of Regina's top, unwilling to let her go _ever_. She chose her words carefully. She didn't want to all out declare that she loved the woman, didn't want to scare her off, so she said it in hypothetical terms. "I think it would be possible for someone like me to choose to love you, in spite of our history, our family's history, _everything_. So don't you _dare_ think that you've missed your chance, okay?"

Regina exhaled slowly and then went completely limp and it scared the shit out of Emma. She wasn't sure whether to let her go or hold on tighter to her. She chose to keep holding on. Emma wouldn't ever just let Regina go. "I'm not sure I can do this. Emma, I don't know if I can do this again. The first time nearly destroyed me." Emma was afraid that Regina was about to tell her no. That they couldn't do this. That there was too much stress and that she just wanted to be friends with her. Emma knew that she'd told the brunette that it would be okay with her if that was what she wanted...but apparently she lied. She couldn't let Regina go like that.

"I'm not sure, either, okay? That's what trying to find love is. It's terrifying, and it's hard." Emma pulled Regina up so she could look into her eyes. She could see hurt and pain and it made her just want to hug the woman tightly to her, but she had to get this out. Regina tried to look away from her, but Emma raised her hand gently to her cheek to stop her. "Look at me. I'm not going _anywhere_, and nothing is going to happen to me like it did to Daniel. Your mother can't take my heart, remember? It's safe. If you need to feel it every day to make sure it's safe, I'll let you. I'll do whatever it takes, whatever you need. I promise." Emma surprised even herself at how much she was willing to do for Regina. Maybe she really could say for sure that she was in love with her. Absolutely head over heels in love with her.

Regina pulled away from her, and though Emma didn't want to let her go, she would never force Regina to stay where she didn't want to be. The brunette was silent for a while, and Emma let her alone with her thoughts. She was still a little terrified that this was over before it even began. Regina finally spoke after long moments though, and Emma braced herself. "I think I need to stop watching Disney movies. It's too depressing." Regina laughed softly, but it didn't reach her eyes, "I wonder how many people can say Disney movies with happy endings are depressing?"

Emma breathed out the tension that she was holding onto and shrugged, "We can always switch to Dreamworks. '_Shrek_' is a big hit."

That earned her just a shake of Regina's head. And then, as if a fog had cleared from her mind, the brunette said, "You know, your parents are going to have a fit if they hear you making claims about loving me, don't you? And there's the added bonus that, for some reason I cannot begin to understand, Mary Margaret still considers me her stepmother." Emma really did not want to think about familial ties that she didn't claim for herself. She had to restrain her tongue from protesting most strongly about this. "Our family tree is very complicated." Complicated was an understatement.

"My parents regularly seem to have fits. But...they believe heavily in true love. So, we'll...uh...cross that bridge later." She almost didn't voice her next thought. She didn't want to push Regina into admitting anything she didn't want to. She also didn't want to be one of those people who needed to be constantly reassured of someone else's feelings. But...it was difficult. She'd been abandoned too many times. She'd been wrong too many times. She couldn't just leave herself open like that anymore without knowing how Regina felt. Or at least, maybe having some idea. "_Much_ later. Like maybe after this is mutual and Henry knows and is okay with it and…" She waved her hand in the air as if to make the whole thing less serious than it really was. As if she didn't care that Regina hardly ever gave her an idea of how she felt. She continued with, "all of that. As for the family tree, well, there are complications in every relationship. We'll just hope she...can look past that?"

"What makes you think this isn't mutual?" Of all the parts in everything she said, Regina would only focus on that bit. At least she sounded playful rather than angry.

Emma couldn't help the dark blush that settled over her features any more than she could help the fact that she squirmed in her place at the uncomfortableness of having to admit that she wasn't sure that Regina cared for her in the same way. Though, to be perfectly honest it wasn't as though the woman threw her very many hints. Where Emma was blatantly obvious about her feelings, with lingering glances and flirtations, Regina was practically a leather bound locked up book that Emma hadn't a dream of reading. And if she even managed to get it open, it would all be written in Hebrew. Yes, Hebrew. "I...well I mean, it hasn't been that long, I don't expect that you would feel exactly the same as I do, Regina. It's easier for me because of Henry, I think. Because I allowed myself to love Henry when I didn't think I would ever love anyone ever again. And...I can't just make claims about how you feel unless you, well, tell me." She tried not to sound desperate for Regina to tell her something, _anything_ but she was pretty sure that she failed.

Regina inhaled deeply and Emma wasn't sure if she should prepare for the worst or the best. "Emma, if I didn't have some kind of feelings for you, we wouldn't be here right now." Emma felt her heart flutter in her chest. Did it just skip? She internally chastised her unruly heart. There was no reason to get all excited yet. Regina hadn't said what her feelings even _were_. "I…" Emma tried not to look expectant at the brunette. She knew it was hard enough without having to see an overeager face waiting for a declaration of some sort. Henry always looked at her that way  
..like he was waiting for her to do something profound. "...care deeply for you. I have for a while now."

Emma was so elated that she couldn't even bring herself to be disappointed that Regina couldn't look at her. After all, she was the one that was always looking away in discomfort. She listened, eyes bright with emotion as Regina continued, "At first, I thought it was simply that I was coming to accept you as part of Henry's life, but..." Regina trailed off again and Emma wanted to..say something, but she had no words. She wanted to do something, to hug the woman, to jump up and down, to... "it's more than that," Regina went on, and all of Emma's attention was suddenly extremely focused on her. "I …I went through a great deal to try to get you and Mary Margaret back from the Enchanted Forest. In part, it was because of Henry, but I'm big enough to admit that," the brunette paused again and this time turned to look at Emma in the eye, which only made Emma even _more_ attentive to Regina. "Had it only been Snow, I wouldn't have taken in a potentially lethal dose of a curse designed to kill any living thing it encountered."

Emma sat in stunned silence for about thirty seconds after Regina was finished. She didn't even know how to begin to respond to everything Regina said. Her mind was a tangle of emotion, but felt oddly blank, as if she was suddenly content with everything. She wanted to be closer to Regina. She wanted to express everything that she felt for the woman, but she'd never really been one for words.

"Regina, I don't know what to say, except…" Emma tried, thinking she was going to actually follow that up with words. Instead she crawled across the bed and tentatively, softly kissed Regina's lips. Her heart was pounding so loud she couldn't hear anything else, and she felt like she could almost feel blood rushing through her fingers as she gently cupped Regina's chin. For what felt like eternity, nothing happened, but then Regina responded just as softly to her almost shy kiss, and warmth filled Emma like she had been out in the cold for years and had only just come in for the first time. They separated after a time, and she noticed Regina's hand on her shoulder. When did that get there? And when did her hands start touching the brunette's waist?

Emma blushed deeply as she looked at Regina. That wasn't exactly what she'd planned, but then again, being spontaneous was probably always better. She looked at Regina nervously, and was pleased to see that she was also blushing. The smile across Regina's face was entirely worth it, and she realized that she was grinning like an idiot. "I would have taken a 'thank you'," Regina commented quietly, which made Emma blush all the more, "but that works as well." Honestly, Emma didn't just want to stop at one kiss, now that she'd gotten started. She wanted another, and another...and maybe a few more. Emma jumped slightly as a loud sound came from behind her and ruined her train of thought completely. "The credits have finished rolling. The movie's over." Why did the goddamn dvd menus have to be five times louder than the actual movie? She couldn't be frustrated for long, however. The thought of how soft Regina was, and how good it had felt to kiss the woman had her grinning as wide as she possibly could all over again. "Do you have any ideas of what we should do next?"

Emma had so many ideas of what they should do next, and all of them caused her to blush just as red as Regina was. "I'm not very wordy," she muttered under her breath, looking away from Regina in response to the woman's comment about thank yous instead of kisses. She looked back to Regina with a softer smile and offered up something to distract from what she really wanted to do, which was kiss the woman all over again. "We could always pick something else to watch? Non-Disney? Or we could…" she suddenly yawned, cutting off what she was about to say. What she was about to say, was that they could just spend some time wrapped up in each other in the peaceful quiet of Regina's room. Maybe sleep would be a better idea, though, especially when she thought about what her reflection had looked like earlier. "Okay, maybe we could sleep for a while?"

Emma looked at Regina just a little nervously as the woman seemed to transform into a predator just by changing the look on her face from blushing and shy to devilish and sultry. Emma leaned back as Regina crawled forward over her, pushing her into the bed. Her voice made Emma shiver, and she gladly slipped her arms up, sliding her hands slowly up and down the woman's back, testing the...waters, so to speak. That _voice_ though, it was a low purr that floated over her like warm honey and spice and Emma wanted to hear more. "I'm sure we can find some time to sleep, yes," Regina finally answered, but Emma was practically three sheets to the wind on her presence. She slid her hands over the woman's back, tugging her closer to her, and smiled up at her. What did she need to sleep for, again?

* * *

_**My thanks for reading. There won't be an update next week because of life, but see you in two weeks!**_


	23. September 12: Still in Bed

_**Chapter 23**_  
_**September 12, Thursday Afternoon**_  
_**Mayor's House, Master Bedroom**_

Emma would give her whole life to never have to wake up to an alarm clock again, especially with the warm weight of Regina pressed against her. She felt the woman move away from her to shut the noise off and whined a little in protest at the loss of contact. Emma opened one eye as Regina flopped back down on her back and grumbled, "I love Henry. I do, but I really don't want to get out of bed." Emma wholeheartedly agreed with the notion, especially when Regina snuggled back against her. She wasn't used to this...closeness. When Regina wrapped her arm around Emma and laid her head against Emma's chest, it made her feel...peaceful. Content. Like maybe for the first time in her life she could find a home here. Not here in Regina's house, but here in her arms, in her heart. "You're comfortable to lie on," Regina said in a pouty tone, and Emma's heart tugged at the idea that for the first time in a very long time someone didn't want to leave her bed.

Emma was going to enjoy this. She slid her arm around Regina and tugged her in even tighter against her. The feeling was wonderful, and she hummed in appreciation, "Mmm," she began, a smile spreading across her face. "Next time I take a day off we tell him to take the bus. If he asks why, we can say you're helping me rest." She opened her eyes and looked down at Regina, already fondly replaying their afternoon kisses in her mind. She laughed softly at the idea that Regina was helpful with 'resting'. "You're not very helpful with the actual sleeping…" She couldn't help herself, either. She had to kiss the woman again, even if all she did was lean down and touch her lips to Regina's forehead. "though I'm not complaining. How about you get Henry, and I promise to keep your spot warm?"

Regina sat up and Emma made a noise of extremely strong protest at the loss of touch between them. She felt a little silly at being so attached already, but pushed the feeling down. If Regina didn't seem to mind, why should she? The brunette narrowed her eyes at her in thought and then countered with, "I took him to school this morning." Okay, that was true. "I think it's your turn. How about you go get him, I order pizza for dinner, and we watch a movie while we eat?" Emma figured that was fair. After all, she had been doing practically nothing as far as raising Henry went. And pizza was an excellent motivator. "Henry can do his homework in his room tonight after dinner, and we can come back to warm our spot up again." Incentive! Emma could only see one flaw in this plan, however.

"But…" she protested, looking down at her half-naked self, "that means I have to get dressed." Pants were so overrated. Although, she _could_ embarrass the hell out of Henry for the first time..._that_ was incentive. Regina crossed her arms and shrugged but Emma was already over her protest. She huffed a bit still as she got up since she didn't want to give away the game, after all. "Fine, but there better be breadsticks with my pizza. And extra pepperoni! And Henry goes to bed early. Because…" She turned back around to smirk at the other woman, "I'm sick." That was a plausible excuse for an almost-teenager, right? She nodded enthusiastically at Regina, who chuckled at her in response.

Regina played along, which delighted Emma. The brunette cleared her throat several times. "Now that you mention it," she said, clearing her throat again, "I seem to be feeling under the weather myself."

Emma smiled brilliantly. "So Henry will have to go to bed early," she winked, and added, "so he gets lots of rest so that he doesn't get sick too, of course. And we'll have to go to bed early because we're sick. Only, I'll need you to help me feel better." She could think of so many ways that Regina could help her feel better, each more wonderful than the last.

Regina actually laughed, and the sound echoed throughout the bedroom and made Emma grin all over again. She felt giddy at their conspiracy, especially when Regina was smirking back at her. The other woman winked and said, "I'm sure I can think of something." Emma inhaled sharply in excitement and had to hold herself back from dancing out of the room. She settled on a mild saunter instead, a permanent grin stuck to her face as she went to fetch clothes and get Henry.

* * *

_**Later that Same Day: Thursday Night**_  
_**Mayor's House: Master Bedroom**_

Emma hadn't counted on Henry's persistence. She supposed she should have expected it. He was her son, after all, and she was especially stubborn herself. Not that she would ever admit such a thing out loud. But wasn't it her stubbornness that made it possible for her to be in this situation in the first place? Didn't she have to be stubborn to stick to someone like Regina through everything the woman had put her through? Among other qualities, she thought the answer was yes. The most embarrassing part of it all was probably the part where Henry had asked about the mark on Regina's collarbone, which in hindsight she'd known she put there, but she hadn't thought it would be visible to...well she just hadn't thought about it at the time. She'd been busy thinking about how good it felt to have Regina in her arms, and how soft the woman's skin was, and definitely not that Henry would be playing twenty questions about _everything_ Regina. In the future she'd have to leave her marks in places she was absolutely certain they wouldn't be visible. She'd been happy when Henry had finally given up and gone off to bed.

Regina was off in the shower, and Emma was nervously pacing around her room, familiarizing herself with the environment. There were pictures of Henry that she'd never seen that made her heart twinge. She made a note to ask Regina about them sometime. She walked into the closet and looked around. It was perfectly organized, and the sight made her chuckle softly. She imagined her own messiness next to Regina's...perfection. How would the woman handle that? She could hear the water shut off in the shower and rushed to get into Regina's bed. Somehow she didn't want the woman to find her snooping around. Soon, Regina walked in and slid into the bed next to her with a smile. "I thought he'd never go to his room. Clearly, Henry gets his nosy streak from you."

Emma couldn't go another second without being in contact with Regina. It had been far too long already. She scooted closer and leaned into the brunette, protesting softly, "Hey, we're not _nosy_ we just like to know everything." Regina tilted her head slightly, and Emma peppered soft, playful kisses in a line down her neck. Between each kiss she added, "And you're one to talk. You're the same way. You always know everything that's going on." She pulled back slightly to look Regina in the eye, unable to wipe away the smile on her face and act more serious. She felt entirely giddy. She was so happy. "But hey, we're here now," Emma said, giving a little shrug to let go of everything else that didn't matter anymore, "Finally."

Regina leaned into her and looked her up and down and Emma felt captured by the woman's eyes. The room suddenly felt much warmer, especially when Regina purred, "So we are," and leaned in further. Emma felt goosebumps rise on her arms and the back of her neck, and she shivered lightly just in anticipation of Regina touching her. "Do you have any ideas on how we might pass the time now that our son is safely tucked away in his room?" Emma gulped. Regina wanted _her_ to take the lead? She'd never even...well, she supposed she could just...she could be creative.

Taking a deep breath, Emma raised her hand and placed it on Regina's cheek. The brunette's skin felt soft under her palm, and it grounded her. She could do this, Regina wasn't someone to be nervous with. She was just Regina. It was just her and Regina and she could let herself go and trust the woman to catch her. "Oh, I can think of several," she began in a low, sultry tone. Emma slid her hand into Regina's soft hair and leaned in to whisper against her ear, "What do you think of this…"

Despite her promise to let herself go and trust that she could be safe with Regina, that she could trust her, she still blushed deeply as she suggested things for them to do together. When the brunette pulled back a little to look at her, she flushed even more, but refused to look away. A shy smile appeared on her face. The woman's hum of approval emboldened her. "Yes, I think we can manage something like that."

The slight smile disappeared as Regina leaned into her touch. Emma pressed forward into the woman, unsatisfied with even the slightest distance between them. She wanted...no, _needed_...to touch, taste, see every bit of Regina. Of the woman she loved. She was nervous as hell, yes, but that nervousness was overridden by her determination. By her desire. Her hand started to tentatively explore, and she growled lightly, "Good."

* * *

_**Friday Morning, September 13**_  
_**Mayor's House, Master Bedroom**_

Emma opened her eyes and blinked up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Light was filtering in from her right and it took her a few seconds to remember where she was. She yawned and stretched a little, feeling pleasant soreness in her limbs remind her of the previous night's activities. A smile spread across her face as she realized that although they'd finally fallen asleep _very_ late, she'd slept all the way through till morning for the first time in ages. She didn't know if it was Regina's presence or because she'd been thoroughly worn out by the woman, but whatever the reason, she was going to accept it and enjoy it and definitely not question her good fortune.

Emma stretched out further, fully extending her arms and legs and groaning as her muscles protested the movement. She briefly wondered if she could talk Regina into staying in bed all day again, but the thought of answering any more of her son's questions put a screeching halt on that notion. And speaking of her son, she knew it was going to be time to get up and start breakfast soon before taking him to school. She wanted a little time with Regina before they had to get up, especially after last night. Softly, she said, "Good morning," expecting that either Regina was already awake from her movement, or that she would wake from her words.

Regina rolled over and curled around her and Emma sighed happily. She couldn't wipe the grin from her face. Her hand slid into Regina's hair and she began playing with it, marveling at the simple fact that this was something that she _could_ do. Maybe it was because she and...no, she refused to ruin this moment by comparing her newfound intimacy with Regina to anything in her past. She wanted to just enjoy this moment, enjoy that this was something she could have. Enjoy that someone wanted her and she wanted them and while there _were_ hard things that they'd have to deal with, there was no giant issue standing in the way of their happiness. There was nothing they couldn't handle together.

"Good morning," Regina responded and Emma refocused one hundred percent on her. The smile on Regina's face made her giddy with excitement and she felt it bubbling up inside of her like she just wanted to shake or dance or shout or _something_ to show it. "Did you sleep well, dear?" the woman asked, and Emma settled for continuing to run her fingers through Regina's hair. She'd lie there all day and do it, if she could.

She thought about Regina's question. She couldn't even remember having a dream. That made her even more excited, and she couldn't keep it out of her voice as she replied, "I...did. I really did!" Regina's smile widened and it made Emma feel warm all over. She allowed more excitement to show as she kept on explaining, "I didn't dream even a little bit, and that hasn't happened in _years_. Not even something random." She smiled broadly at Regina's surprised look. She still wasn't sure what the trigger was for her newfound 'cure' for her dreams and sleeplessness, but she was definitely going to investigate further. "How about you?" she asked the brunette with a broad smile.

The good feeling she already had became even better when Regina threw an arm and a leg over her and made them even more entwined. "Extremely well, thank you," the brunette responded. Emma was pleased by that. She hoped, even dared to believe that she could have influenced a good night's sleep for Regina, just as the woman had clearly had an effect on her. "I'm loathe to get up, honestly." That made Emma even more pleased. She could spend all day right there in bed with Regina on top of her. It felt right to her, and _good_ to just lie there with skin-to-skin contact between them. It was an experience she wasn't ready to let go of.

"You're a bad influence on me," Regina added teasingly. She laughed and reached up and touched Emma's face with one finger, and Emma felt enraptured by the touch. Her eyes tried to track the movement of Regina's hand despite the fact that she couldn't actually see where she was touching her. "I hate that you have to go to work today, but I promise that I'll do something fun for dinner for all of us tonight." Something fun for dinner that night? Emma was intrigued now. Her hand briefly stilled in Regina's hair as she considered what the woman might plan for them. Regina's hand stalled against her neck as she snuggled even closer, and Emma leaned her head down and breathed in deeply, inhaling the woman's scent. It was intoxicating. "Maybe I can give everyone something to look forward to for the evening?"

Emma smiled and replied, "Mmm. Well I don't really want you to get up either." That was true. She was quite comfortable with the brunette on top of her, and to emphasise her point, she began playing with the woman's hair again. "I kind of like you here on top of me like this." In fact, she'd like to do some other things with Regina on top of her like this, but she knew they unfortunately didn't have the time. Instead, she tightened her hold on the woman and breathed in deeply again. She didn't think she'd ever get enough of Regina. "You're keeping me warm. And there are all those other benefits." Like the fact that she could breathe the woman in and the heady feeling of just having Regina in her arms. She wanted to experience these things over and over again.

She wanted to know what Regina had in mind. "Something fun for tonight, you say?" Emma asked, and then pouted slightly, "Well, now I'll have something to guess at all day." She was about to say something else when her stomach growled quite loudly. She looked up at Regina with surprise. Fine time for her body to decide to be hungry. Regina laughed at her, of course. It made a smile spread across her face again. It seemed that all she could do was smile this morning. "Um...I might be hungry. Waffles?" She really wanted waffles. And some other breakfast foods. Suddenly she realized just how famished she really was. Emma wanted to eat. "Ooo...and bacon!" she added after a moment, "Come on, beautiful, let's get breakfast and our son." And be a wonderfully domestic family. That thought made her feel warm and fuzzy all over, despite the idea that they'd have to get up to do it.

"Waffles _and_ bacon?" The way those words left Regina's mouth, and the raised eyebrow on the other woman's face made Emma pause. Was it really that bad to eat waffles and bacon for breakfast? She did get enough exercise, after all. If Regina thought she was going to start making her eat all healthy she had another thing coming. The woman was slowly disentangling herself, and Emma was tempted to say screw it and go hungry, just to pull Regina back against her and revel in the feel of the brunette's skin against her, to satisfy a different kind of hunger.

"Why don't I make something less carb and fat heavy? How about omelets with bacon? I'll even make coffee…" Regina continued, sliding out of bed. Emma was pulled from her musing about what she actually wanted to do. "for a price," the woman teased, and winked on her way to the bath.

Emma slowly sat up, pouting about the loss of her waffles that she wanted _and_ the fact that Regina got out of bed. She folded her arms over her chest and frowned playfully after Regina. "Sassy! Also there is nothing wrong with…" She meant to finish with waffles and bacon, but the sight of Regina's naked, gorgeous ass walking away from her for the first time ever proved to be too much of a distraction for her. And she knew Regina was milking it, slowly walking away from her with a sway in her hips that could kill a man. Or at least hypnotize Emma. "...that view," she finished with a smirk, not bothering to tear her eyes away from the sight until Regina was out of the room.

* * *

_**Later that Same Day: Friday Mid-Morning**_  
_**Sheriff's Station**_

Emma was barely able to whisk the remnants of her bear claw off her desk between the time she heard Regina's familiar clicking heels in the hallway and the moment the woman was standing in the doorway to the main area of the station. Fortunately, despite the donut remains on her desk, she was actually busy filling out paperwork. It was spread out all over her desk. Too late, she realized there were crumbs all over the papers as well, but she couldn't brush them away without attracting Regina's attention. She'd rather suck a lemon, especially after Regina wouldn't let her have waffles that morning. And especially since technically she'd just eaten breakfast a couple of hours ago. She couldn't really help herself though. She found that the more she ate, the more she _wanted_ to eat, and the more she actually thought about eating, as opposed to before when she barely ate.

Okay, she still barely ate, but that was beside the point. The point was Regina was here and she was pretending to do paperwork and she could almost feel the tension radiating off the woman from across the room. And then she could feel it from right next to her because the brunette was standing next to her chair with her arms crossed and a very deep frown on her face. Emma looked up at her curiously as Regina began, "I realize you may not have time for this…"

Emma smiled brightly as Regina leaned against her desk. She couldn't think of any reason why she couldn't take time out of her day to spend with Regina, especially a few minutes. If there was anything she'd learned through her years it was that relationships were fleeting and it was best to hang on to the moments you were given because people walked in and out (mostly out, she thought) of her life all of the time. She gave Regina all of her attention, sliding the papers on her desk aside. "I always have time for you, Regina," she said reassuringly.

Regina huffed and Emma became worried. What could have possibly happened in the few hours they'd been apart to cause this reaction? She'd left a very happy and content woman in the kitchen that morning, complete with domestically cute goodbye kiss that would make even her Charming parents go a bit ill. "I need to tell you what happened after you left with Henry this morning. I was going to wait until tonight, but, the more I think on it, the more I feel you should know sooner than later."

Emma's smile faded as her worry grew. She tried not to jump to the worst possible scenario, but her mind was racing now. "What's going on?" she tentatively asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

Disgust showed openly on Regina's face, and Emma internally shrank from the look. "Your parents paid me a visit."

Rage boiled up immediately inside of Emma, and she had to quickly tamp it down before she lost it. She should have known eventually they'd get around to paying Regina a visit. And of _course_ the cowards would wait until they were certain she wasn't going to be there to attack Regina when Emma couldn't defend her, or herself. She didn't have to ask the question, but she did anyway, already knowing the answer, "What did they want?" They wanted Emma to be their perfect angel daughter, to get away from Regina, to bring Henry "home" to them, which wasn't his home at all. It wasn't even Emma's home. Emma didn't have a h..well, maybe she was making one with Regina. Slowly. Maybe she _could_ allow herself that little thought right now.

"They wanted me to remove whatever spell I've put you under because it's, to quote your mother, 'unfair and ridiculous' for me to use you as a means of getting at them." There was no hiding the irritation in Regina's voice, and Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath, willing her anger to ebb down into a smoulder. She was getting quite good at that, through her own multiple encounters with her parents. She should have known something was up when David didn't show up at the station that morning, but figured he was off...helping...no, she couldn't even think about what David and Mary Margaret might be up to together. "I was unaware of this fact, but, apparently, your interest in me is none of your own doing." Regina glared down at her as she spoke, and Emma wasn't quite sure what _she_ had done wrong. It was probably best not to respond to that. "I _did_ tell you this would happen." Ah. So that was her fault...or something? Was she supposed to prevent it somehow?

Quietly and carefully, as if she were talking around a bomb about to go off, she asked, "Did you fight?" She was sure that there was no actual fighting involved, she felt she knew Regina better than that, at least. She just wanted to be prepared if there had been a loud argument or some sort of verbal back and forth and what kinds of things were shouted and that sort of thing. Or if her parents had touched Regina in any way. She'd...well she didn't know what she'd do to Snow and David, but it would certainly be very violent if they ever touched Regina again. If anyone did.

Her thoughts surprised her. She knew she was protective. It was hard not to be protective, even a little possessive, when everything or everyone you cared about left in some fashion or another. It made her want to hold on to them as long as possible. It made her want to keep them safe. But this was something...far greater than that. She brushed it off. There would be another day to think about that. "No," Regina tiredly responded to her question, and Emma was a little relieved. "We didn't fight. I let her talk and then closed my front door." Well, it probably was the best response, given the circumstances. Arguing with her hardheaded, stubborn-ass parents went nowhere, a fact she knew all too well from their recent fights. "However," Regina continued, her voice hardening as she spoke, "that is not to say that it will always be so easy for me to remain so inactive when provoked." Well, that made sense. If they continued to poke the bear, they were gonna get mauled. Emma would allow it. Hell, she'd probably watch with popcorn.

Emma took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair so she could see Regina better. She exhaled slowly in an attempt to breathe out some of the anger that was currently coursing through her. "I'm...not sure how to respond. I want to be angry," she began in an attempt to put her emotions into words. She _was _angry, but she didn't think it would be helpful to let her rage consume her. It wouldn't solve the situation, and in fact would likely only make it worse. "I want to be...disappointed," she continued. Disappointed in her parents who could forgive everyone else, who could see the good in everyone except apparently Regina.

Emma wasn't an idiot. She knew they had given Regina chance after chance. She also knew that choices given to you by your enemies weren't really choices at all, sometimes, because you were so blinded by your hate and anger that it was impossible to choose anything different. Like a wounded animal. She didn't think a cornered Regina could have made a choice to be different in the face of people she hated with every bit of her being. Or maybe she didn't know what she was thinking at all. It wasn't something she'd ask, that was sure.

"I'm just tired of fighting, I think," Emma explained at last. She was tired of being savior and knight and warrior and fighter. "Part of me wants to storm over there and yell and defend you, defend loving you, to tell them to test me, but I'm not sure they will believe it. I hope maybe they will accept it in time." Emma sighed heavily and ran her hands over her face. She wanted so badly to just hide away until they _did_ accept it but that wouldn't be helpful either. All it would do was make them not have to think about it. Or at least, not have to deal with it. She dropped her head into her hands to hide that she was on the edge of tears, but her voice betrayed her. "I hope, because I really don't want them to make me choose between you and them." Voice stronger, she stated, "I already know the answer." The audacity of even thinking of choosing any side except Regina's (and Henry's because she felt really that she was choosing her family not just Regina) made her heart twist in her chest.

"I am _so_ proud of you for not fighting with them, however," Emma added after a moment, her heart now twisting in a new and different feeling. She sat up at she spoke, looking up at Regina with shining eyes as pride welled up within her. "That makes me so happy, I can't even begin to express it in words." It made her feel a little bit giddy, even, like it was a step in the right direction. A step toward healing the past. If Regina and her parents could somehow settle their differences, or at least if Regina could always keep her cool around them, then maybe, maybe they could have their happy ending.

Emma smiled softly as she finished. The small smile that appeared on Regina's face in return was fleeting at best, but it still made Emma happy. She wished that her parents weren't making it so hard for both of them. It was strange to her, both this wanting to have her parents around and also to not be around them at all. For the first time in her life she knew who her real parents were. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that she could have all of the emotional support that she wanted, all of the care and love and everything she should have gotten as she grew up from her parents in a heartbeat if she asked for it. But it wouldn't be for _her_. It would be for some idea of a daughter that she wasn't. For someone who wasn't in love with a former evil Queen. For someone who would be their good little girl and not herself. She couldn't be their little girl and they...they didn't seem too interested in what she had to say about who she was and what she wanted.

"I _am_ trying, and…" Regina's voice brought Emma's internal ranting about her parents to a halt. What her parents wanted wouldn't change who she was, anyway. She'd made her choice, and it was turning out to be the best decision she'd ever made in her life. Regina was looking around the room and Emma wondered what it was that was so hard to say this time. "I, too, am tired of fighting. I was serious when I said I wanted a better life for Henry. Fighting with those two idiots won't accomplish that." Emma internally sighed as Regina said she wanted a better life for Henry. Just once she wished...she wished that Regina would say she wanted a better life_ for herself_ as well. For all of them, maybe. Maybe someday...Emma would hold out hope. Regina sighed heavily and continued, "Perhaps we should try a different approach? What's the saying here? Kill them with kindness?"

Emma scrunched up her face in thought and replied, "Well, maybe if they saw us more. If we made an effort to…" To what? Jump through hoops over and over again until they were satisfied, knowing that in all likelyhood they probably never would be? "...be involved not only in town events but also maybe invite them to dinner? Or go over there? Or meet in a neutral location like Granny's? What do you think?"

Regina winced and Emma wanted to take it back. What was she even thinking, asking Regina to make nice with her parents? She was barely getting used to the idea of their relationship, adding the Charmings was a recipe for disaster. "I think my natural inclination is to invite them to our home because I'd rather have them somewhere that we have more control over the environment. Besides, if we meet them in public and things go awry, the town gossip chain will act faster than the news in making sure everyone knows our situation." Emma had to admit Regina had a point. And if she were honest with herself, she really didn't want the entire town knowing she was fighting with her parents. It was bad enough they were all a little on edge just because she had moved in with the Queen.

Although, if she thought about it, it wasn't like the stares were any different. People stared at her because she was the Savior, they stared at her because she was now living with Regina, they stared at her because they had some glamorous idea of who she was, like she'd obtained some far off celebrity status simply because she'd broken a curse. It was strange, and yet she was getting used to it at an alarming rate. The townspeople gave her three expressions. Smiles, neutrality, or frowns. She still mostly got smiles so she supposed things weren't that dire. "I want to start preventing all of my private affairs from becoming public knowledge," Regina continued, and Emma thought that was fair. She'd start trying her best to keep their lives private. Since Regina had had celebrity status for so long, she thought maybe she deserved a little privacy, a little anonymity for once. "Perhaps we could invite them to dinner tomorrow night, and you can help me with dinner preparations so there's less likely a chance I'll be accused of poisoning something," Regina suggested, her eyes narrowing, "as tempting as that may be."

"Tomorrow night? Hmm. Alright." Emma looked away from Regina. She had been planning to do something that day and night, but she supposed it could be rearranged somehow. "And we're doing something tonight…" She wasn't even about to give up whatever surprise Regina had for them. She turned back to Regina, decision made. "Okay. We'll invite them over to dinner, today, together."

Regina groaned and Emma felt a little twinge go through her. Did she still have to do everything alone, even with their new...thing? She pressed on, unwilling to deal with that issue. "Don't make any plans for Sunday though. Sunday is my day for us. I'll take care of everything," she added with a smile across her face. She was going to make it awesome. She bounced excitedly in her seat, and said, "I'm still looking forward to tonight, too." Boy, was she. Earlier she'd thought she might leave her job early just to rush to Regina's house and see what the brunette was up to.

"Whatever you're planning for tonight," Regina purred, "please make sure it's something that won't wake our son up." The smirk on the woman's face made Emma shiver right down to her toes.

Emma gave her a wink and a sexy little smile as she spoke. "Hmm, I make no promises," she lowered her voice in innuendo and finished, "You know how loud I can be." Of course, she didn't _really_ yet, but Emma would tease anyway.

"I'll come back around 3:30 so we can go see your parents and make our offer. Hopefully that will allow enough time so we may pick Henry up from school on time," Regina stated, and Emma figured that sounded reasonable.

But why didn't they just take Henry and make the offer as a family? To show that they weren't doing anything abnormal in the house, that they were just another household in the town and that even the Queen could have a family and a happy ending. Maybe she was reaching, but she thought it was important to be a family _with_ Henry and not leave him out. "3:30 sounds good. Or…" she shrugged, voicing her thought, "we can wait, pick Henry up first, and then take him with us? I mean, Henry has been surprisingly supportive."

As soon as she said it she could see the negative answer written across Regina's face. "No, I don't want Henry to see us all fighting over him yet again. I thought we agreed to stop putting him in the middle?"

Emma winced and looked away guiltily. That was exactly what she didn't want to do. "I didn't mean to put him in the middle. I only meant to include him as part of the family. To have all three of us invite them over as our family. Not as some sort of protection for us against them." And, to be quite honest, she knew that it wouldn't matter in the slightest whether Henry was there or not to her parents. They'd certainly proved that they were willing to fight with her over Regina when he was just in the next room. Given Henry's inquisitive nature and his inability to stay put no matter how many times she told him to, she knew he'd heard every word that day, just before they'd moved.

Regina nodded and Emma had this little bit of understanding that meant the matter was closed. If she were honest with herself, she knew that Regina was much more Henry's parent than she was, like she had the final say in things. Emma let it be that way because she still felt like she had no idea what she was doing. But then Regina said something that made her heart drop in her chest. The brunette pushed off her desk as if she were leaving, but paused and said, "Emma, if this doesn't go well…" The grimace on the woman's face didn't help Emma's feeling that the world was about to drop out from underneath her, either. And she was _sitting_.

"If this doesn't go well, what?" Emma asked, her voice practically begging Regina to finish the thought. She was terrified of the answer, terrified that it would be the end of them, that Regina was about to leave her over her parents attitudes.

"I'm sorry," Regina responded, running a hand over her face. Emma almost immediately responded with 'What for?' but the woman was already talking again. "I don't know how to handle this situation. This is the first time in fort…" Emma raised an eyebrow at that. She knew Regina was older than she looked, having been frozen in time for twenty-eight years, but she didn't bother to figure out the woman's actual age. It didn't matter to her. "...a very long time that I've attempted to have something go my way without force, coercion, or manipulation."

"I'm afraid I'm not very good at this, but, for the first time in...a very long time," Regina continued in a heavy voice. She winced at the end, and Emma wondered if it was the subject, or the idea that she'd figure out how old the woman actually was. "I truly do want to do this the right way. However, Mary Margaret and her husband seem hellbent on keeping me in my place, as it were," she continued. Emma sighed a bit in relief. Nowhere in there was a mention or even an inkling of Regina leaving her. She felt a little guilty for...not trusting Regina to stay? But how could she trust that anyone would stay with her when everyone in her life had gone?

Emma's heart twisted as Regina related Snow's words to her while unable to meet her eyes. "She told me," the brunette began, "she knows who and what I am, and she knows now that I'll never change." Regina's arms wrapped around herself and Emma was already getting to her feet. Something inside her couldn't just let Regina self-soothe herself anymore. "Perhaps she's right, but I'd prefer to prove her wrong, just this once."

Emma would help Regina prove her wrong over and over again, if that's what it took. Fuck Mary Margaret, if that was going to be her attitude. So what if they'd given her a million chances, she deserved one more and one more until she learned to get it right. She carefully pulled Regina into her arms and tightly wrapped her up. She whispered into the woman's ear, "She may know who and what you _were_ but until she bothers to get to know you now, she doesn't have the right to any opinion about what you might do or who you might be." Emma was absolutely certain that Regina would make better choices. She was also certain that she'd be there every step of the way to help, something Regina had...maybe never had before? She wasn't sure. If she had, it certainly wasn't someone strong enough to pull her back from the edge. Emma could pull her back from the edge.

"I have faith in you." Emma stated strongly and with conviction. She had faith in Regina, in herself, in _them_. She believed so strongly that Regina would be a better person now. She could see the good in the woman, could see it coming out more and more every day, and she wasn't about to let her hatred-blinded parents ruin it.

Regina tensed, and Emma tightened her hold just slightly. She knew it was a lot, but she wasn't ever going to give up on the brunette. She wouldn't be the one to give up. She could feel the woman in her arms inhale shakily and whisper, "I hope it isn't misplaced." Emma smiled and leaned in and kissed her forehead gently. She knew that it wasn't.


	24. September 13: Backyard Under the Tree

_**Chapter 24**_  
_**September 13: Friday Night**_  
_**Mayor's House: Backyard Under the Apple Tree**_

Emma had never really stopped to think about what it meant about her own self that Regina was a woman whom she was in a relationship with and, well, now having sex with. The thought that she needed to have any sort of label on what she was never crossed her mind. Until today, when her very irate mother accused Regina of 'turning her gay'. Was she gay? Why did it matter? Why did the whole freaking world have to throw identities at her instead of just letting her be? They called her savior, knight, daughter, lesbian, gay, but why couldn't she just be 'Emma' and leave it at that?

They were all so hung up on titles that they couldn't see _who_ people were beyond them. Even Prince Charming and Snow White had expectations placed on them...to be always charming and always _good_. Regina was expected to be the Evil Queen because that was the title that everyone gave her, but Emma saw the woman for who she really was, beyond her past, beyond the expectations, and yes she had the capacity for cruelty but she also had the ability to change. But everyone had the ability to be cruel, given the right set of circumstances. That's what Emma believed. She believed that even Snow White, the supposed purest of them all, could be hateful if given the chance.

Watching Regina get so angry at her parents that she had to let off steam by turning a boulder to bits while cursing made her more upset than she could have imagined. The fact that she couldn't help the situation in any way made her more determined to show Regina that she was Emma's choice. That Regina wasn't going to come second to everything else anymore. And sure, she was supposed to be staying in the car, but honestly, when had Emma ever done what Regina told her to do?

Of course, she'd had to hightail it back to the car and jump on the hood and pretend to have been there the entire time when Regina had started back. Emma was glad that she was in relatively decent shape, because otherwise she was sure her winded expression would have given her away. Instead she gave Regina an expectant look, as if they would talk about it. She wanted to talk about it instead of just sweeping the anger away and burying it until it rose again to hurt them later. Regina just chastised her about not staying in the car and got back in. Well, at least the brunette seemed to be a little less angry, right? Emma sighed, got in the car, and drove them home. At least she had their surprise to look forward to still.

* * *

Okay, Super Smash Brothers and burgers was quite possibly the best thing that could have happened for her Friday night. She didn't even have time to feel guilty for making David roundup Leroy and co. for the second week in a row. Besides, he took the morning off, didn't he? She didn't even mind that Regina had made the burgers as healthy as possible, not that she'd tell the woman that. She'd start making her eat things like salads _all_ the time and that was just unacceptable to Emma.

Settling Henry into bed was becoming a routine that she really enjoyed. It was like her little bit of domestic family time that she got to have with both Henry and Regina that was relaxing instead of them rushing off to do something, like breakfast frequently was, or had Henry busy thinking about something else, like dinnertime, when he was still focused on schoolwork. This time was just for them to focus on, well, sleeping. Everything else by that time could wait until tomorrow.

Except for when they had to talk to Henry about their changing relationship and his lovely grandparents being...well, their _charming_ selves. Emma could go her whole lifetime without having to talk about that with Henry at bedtime. Maybe she'd mention that in passing to Regina...or something. She wanted that to be their time. It hadn't been too bad though. Henry had mostly just nodded as they explained and then said something that completely stunned Regina and even floored Emma a little bit. She recovered a bit faster than Regina, though. He'd said that his grandparents would come around when they realized the Queen needed her knight so they could be a family. Emma had to blink back watery eyes because it was the first time she'd heard Henry call Regina just the Queen and not the Evil Queen. Not to mention that her son was thinking of them all as a family, something Emma had never had, ever. She'd only been able to say that he was right and kiss him goodnight before stumbling off.

Emma and Regina decided to spend time out underneath the apple tree. Emma thought it was fitting because it was the first place they'd ever really challenged each other. Well, it was the first place she'd challenged Regina. It was a memory she liked, though she knew that the brunette couldn't say the same. She remembered how angry Regina had looked that day...but there was something else in her eyes, too. The tree meant more to Regina than Emma could imagine, and that's why she wanted to be out there. To...make her own memories under this tree and somehow become a part of it too, but not the part where she cut part of it down.

So there she was waiting on Regina out underneath the apple tree with a Guinness in her hand on a blanket. The woman took forever to come outside and Emma wondered what she was doing inside that took her so long. Finally, she came strolling out and Emma looked up at her with a brilliant smile. She immediately wrapped her arm around Regina's side as the brunette slid down the tree to sit next to her, pulling her closer against her side. A happy sigh escaped her as Regina settled her head against her shoulder.

It was nice to just sit and relax and be. Emma quietly sipped at her beer and held on to Regina as if nothing else mattered. And truly, nothing else did in this moment. Henry was taken care of, so everything else could just melt away. Emma could lean her head back against the tree and close her eyes and just take in the moment. It was a strange feeling. She felt like these moments were important to take because you never knew what was ahead. Emma needed to have these moments more often now that she felt like she had something that could be ripped away from her.

She still had her eyes closed when Regina broke the silence with, "Henry is handling all of this much better than I thought he might. I was very proud of him tonight. Perhaps I should give him more credit." Emma thought that was true. Regina always thought everyone would think the worst of her, but she knew it wasn't the case, _especially_ Henry. Henry believed in her possibly even more than Emma did, which would be surprising. "He truly shocked me when he said that, despite what the rumors around town were regarding you and me and how his grandparents seemed to be reacting, what he wanted was for us to be a family together. He doesn't seem to care about how his grandparents are behaving right now because he likes the three of us being home together. A year ago, I would never have predicted he'd be so pleased with the concept." Emma felt a spring of unexpected emotion well up inside of her and she had to look away, especially when Regina pulled away from her shoulder to look at her and give her an approving smile. "Also, did you notice he's starting to call you Ma?" Oh, she'd noticed.

Emma couldn't speak for a moment, unwilling to lose control of herself completely. Finally, she spoke in a thick voice, "Henry makes me so proud. Sometimes I look at him and I can't even imagine…" She couldn't see how someone so good came from her, if she were honest with herself. It made her want to cry, but she felt a little silly losing it over this. She cleared her throat but it didn't help her step back from the edge of tears and continued, "...how he's part of me. He always sees the good in everything. And I can't take credit for that. I didn't raise him, but he doesn't care about that. He just…" Emma turned to looked at Regina as she finished, "...loves me, and sometimes I feel like all I've really done is give birth to him and then give him up. I don't get it sometimes." She had done nothing for Henry to deserve his love. She couldn't understand why he loved her when she'd barely even been in his life to earn it.

Emma looked down at the beer in her hand and turned it slowly around. She learned something new about being Henry's mother every day, she just didn't see herself that way. She couldn't see herself that way because she felt like she hadn't been there enough. Giving Henry up had been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, to let go of the fear that her son would become like her, an orphan, and give him his best chance. She never said it out loud, but she thanked the stars, fates, God, and all the saints and angels for Regina every day. That Henry had been adopted by someone who didn't throw him back when they had a kid of their own stirred an emotion in her that Emma couldn't even begin to put into words to explain to someone else. "He has a big heart," Regina answered, "I assure you he didn't get that from me." Emma wasn't sure what even to say to that.

Regina changed the subject, and Emma wasn't sure if she was grateful or not. "Speaking of hearts, are you certain I can't just rip Snow's out and call it a day? Our meeting today still makes me angry when I think about it." Okay, Emma knew that Regina was probably a little bit kidding, and wouldn't actually...but still. Mary Margaret was Emma's friend, and, well, Snow was her mother. She twitched a little at the thought, but it was there all the same. She didn't like the idea of losing yet another parent. She opened her mouth to protest, but Regina cut her off. "I'm mostly joking, of course. I would never take her heart...now." Emma was only a little relieved by this statement, especially at the wistful look on Regina's face. She didn't want to even ask what the brunette was imagining. She probably wouldn't like it.

Emma could focus on a different part of the issue, though. She remembered Regina tossing fireballs at the poor boulder. She hummed and took a sip of her beer, giving her a bit more time. "I wish she didn't make you so angry," Emma said finally, setting the bottle down. She wanted to change the subject again. Emma had been thinking about something else, and the idea of taking hearts coming up was the perfect time to bring it up. She turned to Regina with a serious look and said, "Speaking of taking hearts, something's been bothering me. Or at least, there's something I've been thinking about." Emma had a lot of time to stare at the wall and think while she was pretending to do paperwork. "Remember when we were talking about Gold and Belle? And how she can always see the good in people because she needs to be able to see the good in Gold?" It was really rhetorical. She knew that Regina remembered the conversation. She didn't need her to respond, so Emma pressed on quickly, looking away because she couldn't meet Regina's eyes as she said something she was sure was ridiculous. "Well, please don't think this is completely ridiculous, but what if the reason my heart can't be removed from my chest is because I was made for you?" Regina gasped, and Emma continued looking everywhere but her. She was afraid of the look on Regina's face.

Emma thought it was logical. Not only could Regina not take her heart, but neither could her mother, or anyone who might want to hurt Regina in that way. Her heart was securely fastened in her chest and was unable to be ripped out and crushed to dust. Regina didn't say anything for a long time, and it made Emma nervous. She supposed though that it was a hard question, and probably a surprising one. Finally, Regina answered evenly, "I think the reason Cora couldn't take your heart is because you're the product of true love." Regina sought out her eyes, and Emma was caught. She couldn't look away, somehow she felt it was important that she hold the brunette's gaze and understand her. "A woman who has no concept of love at all has absolutely no power against that kind of magic. Your heart, dear, is protected by the very nature of how you came into being. Even I couldn't remove it if I wanted to. I can reach into your chest and wrap my hand around it, yes, but I knew the moment it was in my palm that I couldn't remove it." Emma frowned just slightly at that, wondering if Regina had wanted to yank out her heart just out of force of habit, especially when Regina closed her eyes. She watched and quietly waited as Regina slowly opened her eyes and said, "Not that I wanted to. I did not."

Emma remembered the experience herself. When Cora had jammed her hand unexpectedly into her chest it had felt like an icy burn, like liquid nitrogen in her chest. At the time the feeling of the crazy bitch's hand against her heart had felt like she was being ripped open, but the woman hadn't been able to remove it. Not that she hadn't violently tried. Thankfully Cora had lost that battle. However, when Regina's hand was in her chest it was different. Warmer. Softer. A little painful, still, but nothing compared to Cora. "No one can take your heart, though you may be able to freely give it away," Regina explained with a shrug, "However, I'm not sure if giving your heart to someone like me then means I can actually take it." Emma pondered this for a few moments, even as Regina pulled away from her.

It was an interesting thought. Could her heart be removed at all from her chest? Could she give away her heart to Regina and allow the woman to remove it? She wanted to know what it felt like, what it would look like, what it meant to have your heart removed from your chest. "Oh…" She frowned as she watched Regina settle against the tree and fold her arms protectively over her chest. She needed to know if Regina could take her heart. But maybe that wasn't what Regina meant? She needed clarification. "Do you mean that I could take it out and give it away, or were you speaking metaphorically? I…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish that statement. Emma looked up at the sky trying to find the right words for what she wanted to ask.

Emma took a deep breath and looked back at Regina. She was determined to do this, or ask this, at least. "Can you try, Regina? I want to know. I _need_ to know. Can you understand that? Please…" Regina looked at her with horror, and Emma winced a little bit internally. She wanted to understand herself better, she needed to know, and there was no amount of research or reading or theory or talking that was going to help her. "I trust you," Emma breathed out softly and emphatically.

Regina scowled and Emma shrank a little bit. She didn't mean to make her angry by her request. Maybe it was...offensive somehow? She bowed her head as Regina spoke. "I…" The brunette seemed at a loss for words and Emma felt guilty for making the request at all. "I...was speaking metaphorically." Regina huffed and Emma looked up to see her shaking her head. She wasn't really surprised that the woman was saying no. "You can't be serious about this. You don't want this. You _don't_. It's painful." Well, yes. She knew it would be painful, she just didn't know how painful it was and that was the problem. she wanted to know. "I don't want to cause you that kind of pain. It's a type of pain you can't even begin to fathom. It's painful on both a physical and emotional level. Removing a person's heart means removing a person's ability to truly feel while, literally, causing a massive hole inside their chest." Regina looked at her intently and Emma was torn between wanting to look away from the emotion written in her eyes, and wanting to hang on every word. Here was someone she loved who didn't want to hurt her, _at last_. Who looked out for her even from her own self, instead of immediately going along with whatever scheme or idea she had without question. It caused a foreign feeling to rise up in her chest, something she'd never really experienced before and she couldn't describe it. She wanted more.

"_Listen_ to me and believe me when I say this," Regina said earnestly, "You do not have to prove to me how much you care about me by doing this. The fact that you chose to stay is enough." Was she trying to prove something? She hadn't even thought of it that way. Regina had a pleading look on her face as she said, "Emma..." and the blonde felt her heart twist in her chest. She didn't want to cause Regina any distress so she would take it back, they didn't have to do this at all. "Why do you want me to do this?" That was an excellent question.

Emma cringed at the idea that she would use this sort of thing to prove how much she cared about Regina. She didn't need fancy tricks or something magical or anything _extra_ to say that she, Emma Swan, loved Regina. She felt like her word was enough. She hoped that her word was enough. "I'm _not_ trying to prove how much I care about you by doing this," she protested, "I'm just… I'm trying to understand myself, _and_ you better." She wanted to understand what, exactly, Regina had done in her past. Emma wasn't about to shy away from anything now. "Regina, you know I'm a person of action," she reminded. "I need to _do_ something. I need to experience something, to feel it, I can't just imagine how it would be." She sighed, wishing that she wasn't so hands-on with her understanding of things. She liked poking bruises and touching things to see how hot they were. She would have looked into a solar eclipse and she'd go bungee jumping just to see what it felt like. Anything less just didn't seem real.

"I'm certainly not going to beg you to do something you don't want to. I don't need to have you hold my heart in your hand to prove how I feel about you, okay?" Emma raised her eyes to meet Regina's, wanting to show that she meant it.

Regina kept looking at her chest, and it made Emma only a little nervous. She hadn't considered what kind of burden she might be placing on Regina with her request. She knew that Regina was trying not to do magic, and asking her to do magic might...well she didn't know. Emma was suddenly struck by the thought that this might not be such a good idea. Was this something they were even ready for? What if Regina could actually take her heart? What if she didn't put it back? Emma felt a thrill of terror go through her at the notion. What if Regina...no. She couldn't think like that. She trusted Regina. She had faith in Regina. She believed that the brunette would do the right thing. She had to.

"If I am able to physically take your heart," Regina began, and then trailed off as if contemplating exactly what Emma herself was thinking. What would happen? "It would mean something very important, but it would also mean that," the brunette stopped talking again briefly and Emma waited patiently. She wasn't going to push the woman into anything. She gave Regina a concerned look when the woman looked up at her at last and flinched. It made her wonder what sort of memory was behind that look. She wondered if she could replace all of Regina's bad memories with good ones somehow. If she could visit every place with a terrible memory and overwrite it with one of her own. It was...well, something to think about later. "...you would know exactly what kind of pain I've inflicted on…" Emma didn't know whether Regina felt guilty or ashamed or both for what she'd done in the past. Or maybe she just didn't want Emma to know what she...enjoyed doing? That was a question that Emma would never ask. Although the woman _did_ make a joke about ripping out Snow's heart. At any rate, she didn't like it when Regina looked away from her. She wanted to shout that the woman should never look away, that she shouldn't be ashamed or afraid or anything of her emotions but that would be a little bit hypocritical. So she said nothing, instead.

Regina looked out past her as she explained, and Emma fought the urge to turn and look at whatever the woman might be focusing on, even though she knew it was nothing. "Frankly, I've lost count of how many hearts are in my collection." Emma had a strange desire to see this collection. She also didn't particularly want to let Regina in on that little desire. Her reasoning was mostly that she was sure that it was something the brunette wanted to put behind her, and having Emma drag the past up for her own whims wouldn't be productive. Finally, Regina looked back at her and quietly asked, "Are you certain you really want to know that? Are you ready to know the answer to either of those questions?"

Emma softly responded in her most reassuring voice, "Regina, I'm not afraid of what you've done in the past. I'm not afraid of who you used to be. I love you. _All_ of you." She breathed out the words as if they were easy, but they carried so much weight that she felt a little bit lightened after they were out there, hanging in the air. She may have danced around the concept before, but that was the first time that she'd outright said that she loved Regina. Emma loved Regina. She inhaled slowly as if it could steady her a little bit.

Regina blinked slowly at her. Her voice sounded puzzled and perhaps a little bit confused to Emma as she responded, "You love all of me." She found it odd that the woman wasn't really questioning the honesty of her words, just restating what she said. "You don't know all of me to be able to say that and," Regina said, looking down at her chest again, "maybe you should." Emma felt that was a valid point.

Regina raised her gaze to Emma's once again and began to tell her what she should expect. "It will hurt beyond any pain you've ever known. Be prepared. I can make it not as painful when I reach in, but there's nothing I can do thereafter to make it less painful if I'm able to remove your heart. It's a curse. It's supposed to hurt." Regina placed her hand on Emma's chest and she leaned into the touch just a bit. She couldn't help herself, really. Any touch from Regina was something she wanted to feel more. "You're certain?" Regina asked, and Emma nodded once in agreement.

"It's a choice, Regina," she said resolutely. She looked down at Regina's hand on her chest, and then met Regina's eyes again. She believed that even though she didn't know all of Regina's past, all of Regina's misdeeds and even anything she might do in the future, Emma would still choose to love her because that was her choice. She made it every hour that she chose to stay, she made it every day, every moment, and she would continue to make that choice possibly forever. "Do it," she commanded.

Emma's breath hitched as Regina's hand entered her chest. She was struck again by how oddly different the sensation of Regina's hand in her chest was compared to Cora's hand. It was a little painful. but nothing like the sharp cutting sensation she'd experienced before. She supposed it was because Regina was trying not to hurt her, whereas Cora was trying to murder her on the spot. "So warm…" Regina trailed off, and Emma watched her until she looked up again. Regina cleared her throat. Emma took in a deep breath. "I'll only try this once," the brunette explained, placing her hand on Emma's cheek. Emma leaned into the touch, even as Regina whispered "I'm so sorry," and tugged at her heart.

The pain was immediate and overwhelming. She couldn't breathe, even though she'd just taken in a deep breath. She wanted to scream, but held herself to a soft cry instead, remembering that their son was inside the house. That was the only thought she could have about Henry, about anything, she was so overwhelmed. She gasped, trying to take in air. She realized she was crying. She fell back against the tree and away from Regina, her hands balling into fists as she rasped out, "Oh...my...god…"

When the pain passed, Emma wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve and looked at Regina. She felt empty. She couldn't cry anymore, couldn't feel anything, really. She knew that she should care about the fact Regina was looking at her heart like she wanted to eat it, but there was no emotion tied to it anymore. Emma looked at her own heart in awe. It looked so...pretty. "It's the most perfect heart I have ever seen." Emma tilted her head a little bit at her heart and looked it over a bit more thoroughly. It was very bright red. There were no imperfections, no dark spots, which she had been a little worried about, considering some of her own history, not that she could really feel worry about that now. It was sort of like she could be perfectly unbiased. Except she still knew that she _should_ feel certain ways about things. "So pure…" Regina trailed off and Emma wondered what she was thinking.

Her chest was an echo of pain. Her heart, which was so attached to Regina before, was now in the woman's hands and Emma could now say she literally felt like a part of her was missing. She looked steadily at Regina, steadily at her heart, and back and forth between them. "That empty feeling you have? It's what they all feel like…" Regina shrugged, and Emma _knew_ she should be a little put off that Regina could brush off something like that so casually but she couldn't be. "The ones whose hearts I still have locked away feel like this, at any rate, and this?" Regina held up Emma's heart, but she hardly needed to. Emma couldn't look away from the pulsing light her heart was emitting. "Allows me to force you to do whatever I want you to."

That was an interesting thought that broke through her pain filled haze. She tilted her head and considered Regina. "It feels so…" she took in a few more deep, gasping breaths while she tried to figure out exactly how it was she felt. "...indescribable. Like I'll never be whole again," she finished. She couldn't even be upset or worried about that fact. She couldn't be happy, either. She couldn't even really be content, she could feel herself becoming unsettled underneath the receding pain.

Regina kept looking at her heart like she wanted to eat it, licking her lips and staring at it. Emma almost expected her to bring it to her lips and take a bite out of it like some sort of vampire. The woman closed her eyes and said, "There's so much power in your heart, Emma…" The blonde wasn't sure how to respond to that. Regina shook herself and opened her eyes and Emma looked at her as if she were concerned, though she could not actually feel any concern. She only knew that she should feel concerned. "The magic you naturally contain is astounding. Your heart pulses with it."

Emma curiously observed her heart and Regina. She wondered what the brunette could do with her heart. After all, if she were about to die, she'd at least like to know what she was propelling Regina into. "What would you want to force me to do? It's…" She couldn't describe how it felt. She searched for the words, but how do you explain a feeling like that? "An interesting feeling," she tried. Interesting wasn't even the half of it. She felt like at any moment thousands of threads inside of her could be tugged tight as she was pulled into submission by Regina Mills. "I wouldn't be able to stop myself; I'm yours," she added, but she had a little feeling like she didn't need to tell Regina that.

Emma was focused on her heart. She blinked with the rhythm of the pulsing light, and her head began to sway back and forth a little bit, but it was like she didn't notice. She smiled at her heart and said with wonder, "My heart...it's so beautiful." She kept staring at it, her eyes wide. It was something magnificent to her. She blinked offbeat, remembering her thought from a moment ago. "What kind of magic can you do with my heart, Regina? What would you want to do, that you wouldn't put it back in my chest?"

Emma was forced to look at Regina instead of her heart suddenly, and she realized that Regina had lifted her heart near her eyes. She blinked at the cold look on the brunette's face. The dangerous look. She realized that something terrible could happen here, and her attention sharpened. "With your heart, dear," Regina began, and Emma began to realize that she was meeting the Queen, the woman who probably had rightfully earned the title of 'evil' though Emma would refuse to add it to her name. "There isn't a spell or curse I couldn't enact." Emma shivered as Regina seemed to change, to become...someone else. This wasn't Regina. "With _this_ kind of power," she continued, and Emma both wanted to look away and also wanted to soak up every moment of it. This was what she had asked for. She wanted understanding. "I could gain control back of the town, and no one could stop me. I could…"

Emma had this idea that her life was probably in grave danger at the moment, but she couldn't feel any fear. Regina's eyes swirled with magic and Emma wasn't sure what was going to happen next. She waited out the Queen. "I could rebuild the Enchanted Forest and take back my reign as Queen." Yes, Emma sort of expected that would be something she wanted. It would lose her Emma and Henry, though. She wasn't sure Regina was prepared to make that sacrifice. She wasn't sure that she wanted to ask that question. And Emma was far beyond the point where she used Henry as a manipulative tool for Regina's control and emotional state. She wanted to be the one that Regina thought of as important enough to stay for. She didn't want to have to threaten or cajole using their son. Regina inhaled deeply, still attached to her heart and said, "I wouldn't have to 'make' you do anything, Miss Swan." Emma knew she should probably be upset by the use of her last name. She knew that she should probably be a little afraid of the cold tone and the way that she was casually speaking about using Emma's heart. "Hearts used for magic are destroyed in the process." So she would die. She didn't need Regina's next words, even if they sounded as though they were from someone who couldn't give a damn about that little fact. "It would kill you." Yes, she had just had that thought.

Her mouth was suddenly dry. Emma licked her lips as if that would help, but it didn't. She responded carefully, "You don't have to make me do anything now, Regina." She wasn't going to do the silly 'I know you're in there, Regina!' thing. She knew that the woman in front of her was very much Regina Mills just as much as the woman who had woken up next to her that morning. She took a deep breath and moved closer to the woman. She reached out and lightly touched the hand that wasn't holding her heart and said, "Remember when I asked you what you wanted?" She made her voice calm despite the fact that the way Regina was looking at her made her even more unsettled. "You told me you hated when I backed you into corners. Is this what you want? Do you want to use my death to gain power? I can't stop you now, you're in control. Only you can stop you." Emma grabbed Regina's hand and held on tightly, squeezing it gently. The practically annoyed look that she got in return didn't even faze her. "I won't beg you. I'll just be here with you until the end." She knew she should feel sadness at this. She tried for that expression. "Until you kill me," she finished.

Emma had made the choice to stand by Regina. She'd made the decision to be the one to pull her back from the edge. She'd be damned if she was going to let the woman fall into darkness again without her. Regina raised their hands so that they were level with Emma's heart. Emma wanted to know what was on the woman's mind. She felt like she was dangling out in the ocean, waiting for Regina to throw her a lifeline. "When I was queen," Regina began, "I thought I understood how to enact the curse. Part of the ingredients called for me to sacrifice the one I loved most dear. I thought it was my prized horse, and I removed his heart for the purpose, but, when I used it, the curse didn't work." Emma frowned slightly. Regina only had a horse as a companion or...person that she loved the most? Surely she misunderstood. "I went to the imp and asked him what went wrong. He made it clear where I had erred. It wasn't an animal that I loved the most, but a person."

Regina sighed impatiently and Emma decided it was probably best for her life if she just listened carefully. "The question, of course, was what did I want more. The love of the person or my revenge?" Regina tilted her head regally and Emma was struck by how beautiful she looked. Emma felt no need to shy away from this Regina. Sure, the woman was technically threatening her life, but Emma had always been optimistic about her chances. "Clearly, I chose the latter, but," Regina narrowed her eyes before she finished and stared intently at Emma. "I sacrificed my father's heart to do it. There are some things more important than love."

The look on Regina's face showed Emma just what she thought about love. So what were they even doing trying this relationship thing? Why were they...wasting their time? "Love can't bring people back from the dead, not even true love's kiss, but power?" Emma didn't care about power at all. She could, however, understand now why Regina was so down on the idea of love. She imagined a young Regina desperately trying to kiss Daniel back to life and failing. "_Power_ can make things happen that those who only have love can only dream of. _Power_ lasts. Love is _weakness_."

No. Emma's eyes widened a bit as Regina said the last bit about love. Regina might be able to control her like she were a puppet dangling on strings, but she couldn't allow the woman to parrot Cora at her, especially given that everything she knew about the woman was terrible. In a strong voice she said, "The last person who told me that love is weakness was your mother, as she was trying to take my heart from my chest. But she was _wrong_, and I'll tell you what I told her then. Love is strength." It was. It was all that stood in the way of Cora getting at her heart. It broke the curse that Regina had placed on the town _and_ brought Henry back.

But how could she expect Regina to understand? Regina, who had never really been loved as she should have been. Regina, trained her whole life to not love anything, to say that love was weakness, who lost her first love at eighteen and couldn't bring him back, who had an entire kingdom against her, and who had sacrificed everything she loved in order to curse everyone, how could she understand someone loving her? "Has your power lasted, Regina? Has it given you everything you ever wanted? Does it give you your family or the love that I know you crave from our son? Or does it just _bore_ you eventually? Power isn't everything. You can choose love."

Regina shouted at her and Emma blinked and shrank away from the woman. "Do not presume that you know _what_ I want. You have _no_ right to… to…" Emma waited patiently for her to finish the statement, unwilling to provoke her further.

Regina looked back at Emma's heart and shook her head slightly and then moved her eyes to their hands. Emma wished that the fact Regina had her heart in her hand gave Emma the ability to read the brunette's mind. "You have no idea how powerful you really are, and you're foolish." Regina kept staring at their hands as she spoke. "So foolish at times, so trusting and, yet, so full of magic…" Emma didn't have any feelings regarding this statement. She knew normally she'd be annoyed. She'd retort. But what was the point? She didn't have the emotion behind it, so it seemed like it would be a waste of time.

Regina yanked her hand away and grabbed Emma by the wrist. Emma's eyes widened again as she instinctively pulled away, but she couldn't get away from the deathlike grip Regina had on her. Regina turned her hand palm up and growled, "Learn." Regina forced Emma's hand into her own chest while turning to Emma's heart and commanding, "Take my heart."

"Oh...oh my god," Emma protested, even as her hand was removing Regina's heart from her chest, "What are you…" She couldn't stop herself from tugging the brunette's heart out. She blinked at it, surprised that she was even holding it. "Okay...that's...your heart. In my hand." Emma stared at the heart. It was so unlike her own heart. Where hers pulsed bright red and shone in the night, Regina's heart was dark and the beat wasn't as bright. It felt cold, somehow. She wanted to keep it safe.

Emma tilted her head at Regina's heart and considered it. "It feels...odd. It's so different from mine. Do you know what it reminds me of? I had this bruise once. It ran all the way down my calf. Took _months_ to heal. Got it from a boot, so it was oddly shaped. It looks like your heart has been bruised over and over." Emma pointed to one of the spots that was several shades darker than the rest. "Look it's even blacker in some spots, like a black eye. I...I want to protect it. Please, I know I said I wouldn't beg, but I didn't understand how hard it was for you to resist." She couldn't let Regina choose power over love again. She wouldn't.

"I can't cry, I can't feel anything right now except what I know that I'll feel when you put my heart back in my chest, but I still choose to love you, Regina. Please. Don't choose power again. Choose me," Emma pleaded.

Regina grunted and moved Emma's heart toward her chest, though she looked to be fighting the movement. "Straight forward instructions," she ground out, "cannot be ignored when you give them while holding the person's heart." Regina was shaking with effort and Emma gasped in realization. "If you want me to choose on my own," she explained with increasing difficulty, "then don't _tell me_ what to do while you have my heart in your hand." Regina finally groaned and just pushed Emma's heart back in, placing her heart back where it belonged.

Tears ran down Emma's face at the pain of having her heart forced back into her chest. She closed her eyes briefly against the rush of emotion that invaded her, but it didn't stop the tears. She blurted out, "I didn't mean…" even as Regina tilted her head. "I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking! Take it back!"

With an exasperated sigh and rolled eyes, Regina casually yanked Emma's heart out again. Emma felt a little bit of relief as the overwhelming emotion of a moment ago disappeared, but the pain of having her heart removed was something she would never get used to. She collected herself as Regina asked, "And now what? We sit here all night playing cold war games with each other's hearts?" No, that wasn't what Emma wanted at all. She didn't even want to be holding Regina's heart, especially since the woman looked tired and angry.

Regina looked at her own heart and asked, "Tell me, dear. As you hold my heart in your hand and feel the command you have over me, over someone as powerful as I actually am, how does that make you feel?"

Emma was going to push Regina's heart back into her chest, but she stopped the motion midway. She paused and thought about the question. "It's...I don't know. I didn't think about it before you asked." She tilted her head at Regina's heart and then looked back up to meet the brunette's eyes. How did holding Regina's heart make her feel? Well, like she wanted to protect it _and_ Regina, first off. And second...she hadn't realized how truly powerful Regina was until this moment. It was a bit of a heady experience, and she took a deep breath before responding. "I didn't realize how powerful you actually are until now. It's kind of...refreshing." It was refreshing because it meant Emma could maybe let go just a little bit of the idea that she needed to be the only protector in the family. It meant that maybe, just maybe if they made it through this, Regina could be her protector, too. "I thought it was easy for you to not use magic, but now I see…" she trailed off, staring at Regina's heart again with a little bit of awe. "Now I really understand your struggle. I told you I want to protect your heart _and_ you. Maybe it's the savior thing, or the knight thing." Emma rolled her eyes as she was forced to say this.

"Maybe it's just my choice, or because you're holding my heart and I'm yours…" Regina frowned and Emma shook her head and continued, "No, I take that back. I've been yours since that day right inside your door when you snapped at me about asking about your land. I...feel...like I could get you to tell me everything. That's all I want from you, I want you to share with me. But I don't need your heart for that." Emma leaned forward and gently pushed Regina's heart back into her chest with a small smile. "I just need you to trust me like you said you did."

Regina winced and Emma figured it was her heart returning to it's spot inside her chest. She didn't know what else to say, didn't know what else she could say that would help. "Emma…" Regina whispered gently, and she didn't know whether to fall at the woman's feet or run. She couldn't exactly run since Regina was holding her heart, so she settled for just waiting. "You're still foolish," Regina said finally, in a voice thick with emotion. She pushed Emma's heart into place and Emma winced herself. She'd never get used to it. Never. "But perhaps we both are?" Regina asked, while wiping at her face to brush away the few tears that had fallen.

Regina couldn't look at Emma but it didn't matter. Emma was overwhelmed by emotion and couldn't concentrate on anything except Regina. "I'll take being foolish," she declared, and launched herself at Regina, hugging her tightly and knocking them over onto the blanket. She didn't care about her own tears as she said happily, "I wouldn't change it. I won't take it back." Regina had chosen her. _Her_. She couldn't let the woman go now.

"_Emma!_" Regina's tone was surprised. "I believe you, I do." Emma smiled as Regina wiped away her tears, leaning into the brunette's touch alongside her face. "It's getting late. We should go back inside and go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a very big day, and," Emma tightened her hold on Regina slightly as the woman smiled at her through tears and waited patiently for her to finish her thoughts. "I hope you know that I love you, too, which means," Regina said quickly, "that, whether this dinner with your parents goes well or not, I promise that it won't affect how we or our family live our lives." Emma felt her heart jump in her chest as she realized...as she realized that Regina loved her. That someone loved her. She was too caught up in emotion, she was feeling too many things. She was elated. She was relieved. She had a rush of so many other good things. "It's about time I started ignoring other people's judgements. Don't you think?"

"I think that sounds _wonderful_," Emma responded, slowly getting up off of Regina and then helping the woman stand. She sniffed a bit and laughed softly, before asking boldly, "Can I stay with you tonight? I don't want to let you go." Emma already had her arm around Regina and was pulling her close before she'd finished talking to emphasize her point. She hated that she sounded so needy, like she wanted to be clinging on to Regina now that they'd made their declarations. "Please?" she asked, not knowing what she'd do if Regina said no. "And...can we...tell Henry tomorrow morning? We said we'd tell him first." Maybe not about Regina pulling out her heart, but their new relationship status, yes.

Regina nodded at her and Emma felt even more relieved. She thought it was extremely cute when Regina gave her a sheepish smile and mumbled, "Stay every night," while looking away. Regina pulled away and Emma protested the movement, but she supposed it was probably better for them to walk as two individuals. They'd be lying down together soon enough. "We'll talk to Henry at breakfast. Now, let's go to our bedroom, shall we?" Regina opened the door and Emma stepped forward.

She nodded at the brunette and gave her best grin, happily answering, "Every night."

* * *

**Sometimes, AdmHawthorne makes me terrified for Emma's life. All the awards to her for this chapter. **


	25. September 14: Basement

_**Chapter 25**_  
_**September 14: Saturday Evening**_  
_**Mayor's House: Basement**_

Emma was standing with her hands on her hips and a slight pout on her face as she said, "You didn't tell me there was a pool table in the basement, Regina." She was a little in awe by the well designed giant games space that was down here. She picked up another dart and held it up, aiming at the board. "That's just unacceptable," she added in mock anger, "And _darts_. Oh!" She threw the dart at the board and it didn't even manage to hit a number. She supposed she shouldn't talk and aim at the same time? Emma would admit that darts wasn't her best game. She'd spent much more time playing pool. "I know exactly how to entertain my parents tonight now!" she began excitedly. Surely Snow, at the very least, would be interested in darts. "Come on, let's practice. We'll play cricket. You know how, right?"

Regina rolled her eyes as she responded, "I _own_ the dart board, and I've been here for twenty-eight years with little to nothing to really do with my time. What do you think?" Emma filed this away in her mind as she watched Regina ninja her dart and easily throw a bullseye. What she thought was that clearly she wasn't ever going to play darts with Regina. Or that she was going to make the woman stand further back from the board if Emma were to stand a chance at winning against the brunette. Regina turned to her and smirked, and Emma had an intense urge to say _something_ to wipe it off her face.

Emma muttered, "Show off," as she retrieved the darts. She really shouldn't be surprised. If Regina could master a bunch of things in 28 years of doing basically whatever she wanted, surely darts would be easy. She wondered what other tricks the woman was hiding up her sleeve. She imagined that many of them would be beneficial to her...in many ways. She smiled a bit to herself at this thought as she turned back to Regina determinedly. Narrowing her eyes she challenged, "Do it again, then." As Regina took one of the darts, Emma had a thought. What if Regina was using magic? Slightly annoyed at the idea that Regina would cheat just to prove a point to her, she cautioned, "And you better not have enchanted the darts!"

Regina turned to glare at her but Emma simply folded her arms over her chest and stared back. She was set on finding out if the woman was just extremely lucky, or if she really was as good as she said. Regina smiled at her and turned back to the board. Emma watched as she seemed to effortlessly toss the dart into another bullseye. Regina's triumphant smile made Emma shake her head with mirth. "It's called having skills, Emma, and I have many." The way the woman smiled at her mischievously made her shiver a bit. She was definitely learning about all of Regina's skills...and enjoying it immensely.

Regina looked toward the clock and commented, "Don't you think we should tend to dinner?" Right, her parents were coming and they had to make sure dinner was ready and everything was perfect. Emma wanted things to go as smoothly as a dinner between enemies could go.

Emma gave a heavy, defeated sigh, giving up on ever beating Regina at darts. It was alright though, she still was able to trounce the woman in Mario Kart. "Well, since I obviously can't win at darts, I suppose." She perked up a bit at the idea of helping out in the kitchen. "What are we making? I can handle the salad!" Emma felt a little silly at how excited she was about being able to make salad, of all things, but considering just a month ago she was turning vegetables into little mutilations of their former selves, she thought progress was being made. Regina had taught her how to cut things properly, and she'd learned so much more than that as well.

Regina picked up the last two darts and nailed them near the center of the board again, though not exactly in the bullseye, and Emma was pretty sure she was just rubbing it in now. They needed to play pool together instead. She was much better at that. "Tonight I'm cooking a roast, and of course you're going to make the salad," Regina affirmed, "However, I think you'll be more interested in what's for dessert." The way Regina said the word dessert made Emma think that she wasn't really talking just about food. The brunette's devilish smile confirmed it, and Emma stared as she walked toward the stairs.

Emma raised an eyebrow as she began to think about having Regina for dessert, and unabashedly watched Regina walk away. The woman sure did know how to make an exit. "Hang on," Emma called after her, waving her back over. "come back here a moment."

Regina stopped and turned as expected and Emma smirked at her. The brunette looked at her curiously, but Emma wasn't about to give up the game yet. As Regina crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, Emma realized she should have known the woman would make things more difficult than needed. "Hmmm?"

"No, no." Emma beckoned her again, determined that she wasn't going to tell her what she needed. She was struck by the odd thought that maybe Regina wouldn't come over because she didn't trust her, but she brushed it off. "Come over here, please," she asked with a smirk on her face.

Regina finally walked over and Emma's smirk turned a little bit predatory. She couldn't help herself, especially with the way Regina's hips were swaying as she moved. Emma looked her down and then up as she came close to her. "Yes, dear?"

Emma grinned and leaned in to kiss her forehead, her hands naturally falling around Regina's waist. "I just wanted to watch you walk away again," she admitted at last. The snort from Regina and redness rising on her face was worth every bit of it. She made a large sweeping gesture with her hands, bowing just a little bit, and proclaimed, "You may proceed." She almost added 'my Queen', at the end of her words, but the memory of the night before was still too fresh.

Regina laughed and gave a small nod, and in the same over-the-top regal tone said, "Why thank you, Princess." The woman turned and walked away, clearly adding extra sway in her step. Emma placed her hands on her own hips and stared blatantly. She smiled as Regina turned to give her an extremely suggestive look before heading up the stairs.

Emma shivered, goosebumps rising on her arms as she considered all of the possibilities for the evening. Her voice came out low as she responded. "You are most welcome…" and after just a second's pause to consider added, "my Queen."

* * *

_**Later That Same Day: Saturday Night**_  
_**Mayor's House: Master Bedroom**_

Emma stared out the window as she went over the rest of their evening in her head. Truth be told, it probably went as well as it could have gone between Regina and her parents. It still felt weird to call them that, even in her head. Her parents. She had parents, parents who had just come over to 'meet the girlfriend', and who had walked away rather upset by Regina's choice for dessert. Despite Emma's reassurances that she did indeed watch Regina bake the cherry turnovers like a hawk, and that she'd eaten one herself before dinner even started, her parents were angry at the idea that Regina would even dare to serve them turnovers after what happened with Henry and how the curse was broken. She thought that was rather self-righteous of them, considering that Henry and Emma should be much more upset about the whole turnover-curse situation than Snow and David.

"Honestly," Emma heard from behind her as Regina came out of the bathroom at last, "I don't know what the big deal was." She turned to see the woman sliding into her side of the bed and turning on her ereader. She was struck by the fact that she already had claimed a side in Regina's bed. She wondered if the woman had slept in the middle of the bed before, but wasn't about to ask now. It wasn't the time. "It was just dessert. It wasn't as though I offered up the flesh of the unborn." Regina looked annoyed.

Emma was trying to be patient with all of them. It was true that it was 'just' dessert, but it was also a deliberate challenge. She was more annoyed with her parents, though. They should have been able to see it that way, at least in her mind. Poking at each other is what they did now, sometimes vicious, sometimes less so, like the freaking turnovers. "I tried to tell them you didn't _do_ anything to the turnover, but you _know_ how my father is." Emma crossed her arms with a huff of frustration. If her prospects at getting her parents and Regina to at least _tolerate_ each other were going to look bleak for the foreseeable future, then she might as well let it go. "They ate the rest of it without complaint, though. It was oddly..._charming_."

Emma quietly snickered at her joke even as Regina scoffed. "Honestly, Emma." The brunette waved her hand and commented, "I think that, other than dessert, things went as well as could be expected, don't you? Henry seemed thrilled that his grandparents were having dinner with us, and your mother seemed honestly surprised at how domestic you and I seemed, which I consider a small win for me and you." Yes, Emma did notice her former roommate's surprise. Her mother. Maybe if she could start calling the woman her mother in her head, eventually she'd be able to say it out loud more frequently than she did. It was easy to call them her parents. Her biological parents. She would...try.

"And," Regina continued, pulling Emma from her thoughts about her parents, "as an added bonus we have extra cherry turnovers for tomorrow." That was a bonus, Emma would be able to eat them for breakfast. "Are you coming to bed...Princess?" Regina asked, drawing out the title deliberately. Emma scowled at her, but didn't take the bait.

Emma looked around the room in consideration before turning her focus back on Regina. If she was going to always sleep here she needed to...change things. "Would you hat…" she began, and stopped herself cold. She wasn't going to ask a question as if she were afraid somehow that asking for something would cause Regina to feel any differently about her, especially hate. Regina loved her, and she reminded herself of that before she started again, "I know you're very...settled...in here, but could we...redecorate?" She looked around again at everything that was foreign to her, and she knew the unfamiliarity would cause her problems. "I have a thing. It helps me sleep."

"Well, I suppose at some point we'll have to redecorate the entire house," Regina responded, and Emma held back a grimace. She didn't want to intrude on everything that Regina had here. She wasn't comfortable with the idea that it was her home. "We can start here, if you'd like." Okay, just the bedroom. She could handle that. "What is this thing you need in here tonight?"

Emma gave Regina a look. Clearly, she'd have to be more careful with how she used the word 'thing' for everything. To avoid thinking about it too much she began stripping out of her clothes, giving her mind something else to focus on as she spoke. "I didn't mean an actual _thing_. I meant like a psychological thing." Emma finished stripping down to her boyshorts. She thought about removing them too, since she usually slept completely naked, but decided to leave them on to tease. She threw herself down on her side of the bed and covered her eyes with one arm, trying to explain what she actually meant. "I have a need to _own_ wherever I sleep. This is your room, not _our_ room or _my_ room. Owning my space cuts down on recurring nightmares and dreams." Now that she didn't have to look at Regina to explain, she rolled over onto her stomach and slid her arm across Regina's lap. "That's what I mean by thing," she finished.

"Emma," Regina said warmly, though Emma thought her voice sounded a little strained. She felt guilty, like maybe she was asking too much. "I just said we can redecorate. I do understand. Of all the people you have ever known or ever will, I promise you there is _no one_ who better understands the need to control one's environment than I. We can sit down tomorrow and discuss how we would like for _our_ bedroom to look, okay?"

Emma nodded slightly and a small smile spread across her face. She wanted to offer up something as an explanation for why she had needed to say everything, despite Regina's comment that they could redecorate. She wanted to try to be honest about everything. That was what you did in relationships, right? "Okay. I just didn't want you to think i was holding back." She didn't want Regina to think that her use of the word thing instead of exactly what she was trying to express was a way to not give up anything more.

Emma pressed in closer to Regina. She marveled at the fact that this was something she was able to do, to just snuggle up to her in bed, to even just be in bed with someone else. "You're wonderful," she smiled, and then looked over at the ereader on the nightstand. "Still reading the same book? You know, Henry blew threw all of those comics we bought already." She wondered how long Regina could keep control if she kept stretching next to her. She started with her legs, sliding them next to Regina's.

Emma smirked a little as Regina was obviously already distracted. Her voice gave her away as she spoke, "Yes, though I'm almost done." She heard the brunette clear her throat a few times, and continue, "He normally reads through them fairly quickly." Regina glanced over with a smirk on her face and asked, "Is _this_ how you normally sleep?" Well, it was close.

Regina's eyes wandered across her skin and Emma's smirk became even wider. She raised an eyebrow and reminded, "I did tell you when I moved in. I figured there was no need for me to keep even the little bit I was wearing on anymore." She rolled onto her back purposefully and stretched out as much as possible, watching Regina's eyes as they were glued to her movements. It made her feel pretty damn good about herself. "Will that be a problem?" she asked in a concerned tone, though it was mostly contrived. From the desire written on Regina's face she knew there was no problem.

The little sigh that escaped Regina made Emma feel warm all over. The brunette shrugged and commented, "Only if Henry decides to come in here because he needs us for something."

Emma gave a shrug of her own and replied, "After the first time, he'll learn to knock." Really, he was old enough to respect boundaries now, right? Though, he did seem to have a problem with listening when she asked him to do something, like not go gallivanting off trying to save the entire town which was _her_ job. "Or tomorrow while we're planning our redecorating at breakfast I'll explain to him that he should never just barge into our room unless it's an emergency. He's almost eleven, not three. He can be respectful." Emma leaned up on her elbows and said, "Speaking of tomorrow, it's still my day for me and you. Henry is spending the day with my parents, and we are going out." She gave an excited smile, but she saw that Regina wasn't even paying attention...well, to her face, anyway. "Before you ask, no, they're not asking for anything in return for keeping Henry occupied." She was pretty sure Regina had no intention of asking, but she threw it out there anyway.

In fact, with the way Regina was licking her lips with her eyes closed, Emma wasn't sure why she was even still talking. Oh right, she wanted to see how long Regina could maintain herself. "I'll admit," Regina began, and Emma felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the sound of the woman's now very hoarse voice, "I am very curious about tomorrow. I'm trying to stop myself from being too...curious. I know you want this to be a surprise." Emma thought that Regina had been about to say she was trying to stop herself from something else. The woman's eyes opened and met Emma's as she asked, "What time are we taking Henry to your parents'?"

Emma shivered lightly as Regina reached out and touched her stomach. Her breath hitched and she had to try very hard to remember what Regina had just asked her. She should have known better than to play this game with the Queen. She tried to answer anyway, licking her lips and inhaling shakily before responding, "Right after breakfast. I think they're taking him either to ride horses or go paintballing or something equally active. Both were talked about, I don't remember what they settled on." She couldn't quite remember her own name with the way Regina was touching her.

Regina dragged her fingers slowly up toward her chest, and Emma was about to lose it. The brunette teased, "Well, I was going to suggest we stay up a bit later, but perhaps we should get some sleep so we're not late getting Henry ready?" Emma began to squirm under Regina's touch as if it were lighting a fire inside of her. She wasn't about to allow them to go to bed, _yet_.

"Stay up later? Now, what did you have in mind?" Emma tried to keep her tone light, but with her voice already low, it was difficult. "You know I don't need _that_ much sleep…"

Emma would happily stay up all night if it meant she could be with Regina. She pushed up off her elbows and leaned into the other woman, tracing her free hand along Regina's collarbone. She gave the woman a rather devilish grin as she touched her, and then pulled herself even closer. That earned her a hum of approval, which she relished. She registered that Regina responded with, "What a happy coincidence. Neither do I," but she was far too distracted to offer up a response.


End file.
